| |
| |
|
Strategic Planning Information |
|
|
|
Strategy Without Tactics is Futile
From time to time there seems to be a flurry of studies and surveys on effective communication in the workplace. As a communication specialist, I'm always eager to read these studies, but am often disappointed with what I see. That's because they all seem to be about communication strategy. ? We must put in place strategies to get our message out to our various publics. ? We must have a communication strategy so that our image and reputation will be disseminated in the way we want it. It all sounds so one-sided, and even worse, so one-dimensional. According to my Oxford Dictionary, "strategy" is a military term defined as "generalship, the art of war; management of an army or armies in a campaign; art of so moving or disposing troops or ships as to impose upon the enemy the place and time and conditions for fighting preferred by oneself." That's all very well as far as it goes, but there are two problems. First, if your soldiers don't have the necessary skills to move the army along, they will never reach the strategic position in the first place. Second, if they don't have the appropriate fighting skills, they won't know what to do once they are in position. In order to make use of a strategy, you need the other half of the equation: tactics. The same dictionary defines "tactics" as "the art of disposing military or naval forces in actual contact with the enemy". In other words, once your strategy is in place, you must use tactics that will convert your plan into results. In today's complex, many-faceted workplace, too many laudable communication strategies fail, or at least achieve limited success, because of lack of attention to tactics. By tactics, I mean the way we use applied communication every day to get the work done. As I often tell my audiences, this is not about a system-it's about the skills of those using the system. If the soldiers are not trained in the skills they need to get to the place of engagement as well as to fight the battle, then where is the value of a strategy? In workplace terms, if employees at all levels don't have the skills to transfer information through presentations, through person-to-person discussion at meetings, through articulate discussion with the media, through the written word in all its forms, to interact with colleagues, customers and other stakeholders-then even the most ambitious strategy is doomed to failure from the start. Effective workplace communication takes two components: the will and the skill- and one is of no use without the other. Your sales force may be very willing to sell your products, but if they haven't been given the necessary skills they'll starve. Newly promoted, enthusiastic young managers may well have the will to excel in their new responsibilities, but without the necessary training how will they have the skill to run effective meetings, motivate their people or lead winning teams? Soldiers must be trained to carry out military tactics; employees must be trained to communicate effectively in all workplace interactions. This is why applied communication is "The Hidden Profit Center". Find those places in your organization where communication is breaking down, and take a close look at what that costs in monetary terms. Identify the missing skills and supply the training necessary to provide them. After a predetermined length of time, quantify the savings in time, opportunity and people: that's your Hidden Profit Center, and you'll be amazed at how enormous it can be. © 2005 Helen Wilkie All Rights Reserved You may reprint this article for your online or print publication so long as you include the complete article and the following paragraph: Helen Wilkie is a professional speaker, consultant and author who helps companies save their money and people save their sanity through better communication. For information about "The Hidden Profit Center", visit http://www.mhwcom.com/pages/thehiddenprofitbook.html While you are on the site, subscribe to Helen's e-zine, "Communi-keys", to receive free monthly communication tips and techniques. Communicate and Prosper!
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Under Construction During the Storm - A Hurricane Guide for Businesses that are Under Construction As a business owner, you've likely created a hurricane plan for your business and your family, but did you overlook your construction project? Don't worry, you're not alone. Most people don't even think about preparing their construction site because it's not written into their "construction timeline. Be Like Bill - Think! Twice a year, Bill Gates goes to a remote island hide-a-way for a week at a time. No, he's not going for a fishing vacation; instead of rods, reels, and lures he takes market analyses, position reports, engineering reports, and opportunity papers. Business Process Methodologies I've either been involved with or held a process-related role since 1994. It started in the government with TQM (Total Quality Management). Why Six Sigma Will Work in Healthcare If ever there were an industry where we want zero defects, it's healthcare. Patients, medical professionals, and healthcare administrators all want mistakes eliminated and quality and efficiency improved. Akron OH; A great place to do business When looking at Akron carefully one cannot help but notice it's brilliant location to rivers, water, large cities and middle class consumer spending populations. With Canton to the South, high-end and growing Fairlawn to the North, Kent State and University of Ohio both a stones throw; the potential for any business is quite apparent. How to Write a Business Plan Market Analysis Writing a business plan is an essential part of the initial strategic planning of any company. One thing, which seems to hang up most entrepreneurs, is figuring out what kind of data and information goes into the Market Analysis section. Legal Strategies in Business Plans Writing a Business Plan these days is tough, venture capitalists are busy and there are so many ideas to choose from. Bankers want a tight, sweet and to the point business plan. A Backup To The Internet Is Vital & Now Cost Effective It doesn't take a Terrorist Act, Tsunami or Earthquake to put a business heavily dependent on the internet in the dark and effectively out of business??for hours or even days into weeks.Actually, a misguided backhoe, a lightning bolt, a car accident involving a phone pole or cable box, a flooding rain or an electrical "brown out" can do it in a flash. Connecting Your Offline Business to Your Online Business These may sound like no brainers, but you'd be surprised. No matter how high-tech your business has become, there is no doubt you still have some non-electronic aspects of your company. Business Plan Descriptions of Computer System Entrepreneurs often give little if any consideration to their computer system needs in their original business plans. It is a necessity to have mention of your computer system as bankers and/or investors will want to know how you will keep track of your future endeavor. Business Results - Four Critical Success Factors Scenario OneDuring a recent presentation, a business owner was given the following challenge. If 10 of his 100 employees were asked to name the top 3 organizational goals for the current year as they perceived them to be, would he receive the same 3 goals from everyone or would he receive 5, 10 or even 25 different goals? The business owner shook his head and thoughtfully responded, "No, I am sure that I would receive more than 3 goals. A Unique Joint Venture Twist: Make Huge Profits Even If You Have No Money, No Products, and No List Would you like to jumpstart your online or offline business without spending a ton of money?Without a doubt, joint venture marketing is the most powerful secret to making money online or offline.In its simplest form, you partner with someone else: You either sell their product to your customer base or they sell your product to theirs. 5 Strategies That Will Boost Your Business Productivity Today! - Part 1 Building a dynamic small business is a constantly evolving, increasingly demanding role.It is very easy to get so caught up in the day to day running of our business that we neglect to take the time to look from the outside in to see what we could do to improve our profitability!Well here are 5 Strategies that could boost your productivity overnight!They are not rocket science?and you may have even heard some of them before, but they are 5 proven principles that you can review today to help you stay on track regarding the real issues to grow your business from here. Making a Decision to Outsource: Strategic Constraints Many companies are reluctant to dive into outsourcing ocean because of various reasons of strategic nature. As far as strategic goals are touched upon, managers are concerned with the following issues:- Risks and dangers of transferring too much managerial power to one partner. Why Create an Annual Plan? Can you imagine going on a road trip without knowing your destination? Or, building your house without plans? The same can be said about running your business without a plan.They say that "If you don't know where you are going, any road will do. Do You Have A Customer Identity Crisis? The trick is to determine what uniquely identifies your best customers. Fortunately, deriving this information is not difficult, and in many cases can be obtained from innocuous questions. 8 Ways to Earn More Without Working Harder Conventional wisdom has it that there are only three ways to grow your business: find new customers, increase the amount of each sale to existing customers or get customers to buy more frequently. But I've seen business owners go blank when presented with those three options. Strategic Planning Fundamentals Strategic planning is vital while starting a new business or expansion of an business or planning to boost the performance of an existing business. But it requires detailed strategic planning and controlled deployment activities. Going Self-Employed - A Few Handy Hints The day you decide to take the plunge and work for yourself will be one of the most life-changing choices you ever make, whether starting a company large or small or as a freelance; from the very first moment of being self-employed, you and you alone will stand or fall by your decisions and actions. You will be responsible for steering your business through all its ups and downs, good times and bad times with no guarantee that everything will turn out right in the end. A Rough Cut on Feasibility A piano tuner recently moved to Buffalo, NY, and would like to assess the business possibilities for him in his new home. He plans to estimate how many piano tuners the greater Buffalo area can support, and compare that to the number listed in the phone book.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
