The art of conversation in enabling better business performance

The vision and strategy are agreed and in place. Purpose is defined, values and behaviours are understood. Everything is crystal clear around the boardroom table. However, business performance is falling, engagement is poor and good people are leaving. It’s a challenge only too familiar to many organisations.

Business performance stifled in the treacle layer. That level in an organisation where the messages and intention of leaders gets stuck, slows down, distorts and sometimes disappears. That population of managers and supervisors who are the connectors of the boardroom to the business and the business to the boardroom. The layer in businesses where message distortion and behavioural misalignment can be most acute. The place where misunderstanding and disengagement most frequently occur. The time poor management and leadership population who interact with the majority of your workforce day to day and struggle with bandwidth to do their best work.

• How do they ensure that each employee feels emotionally connected and engaged with the business?
• How do they make people feel like they are being developed as a unique individual and enabled to do their best work?
• How do they enable performance and not have to rely on time intensive, retrospective and arguably outdated review practices?

Interesting Harvard Business Review read by Peter Cappelli and Anna A. Tavis, PhD on the changing nature of performance management:

The Performance Management Revolution | HBR

The answer lies in better conversation. Meaningful and intentional conversation with each employee that seamlessly integrate into a managers’ daily life. Conversations that create accountability, deliver clarity and understanding, boost productivity and most importantly, conversations that connect organisations from the boardroom to the frontline.

Employee Enablement matters. It’s not to be confused with employee engagement, read more here:

What is employee enablement and why does it matter? | LinkedIn Talent Solutions

Employee Enablement is a critical part of your story and a key driver of your reputation as an employer.

What’s your enablement story and what are you doing to ensure that your employees have everything they need to do their job and reach their full potential?