17 Sep 2014
"Are your people clear about your organisation’s story and their role in it?"
Rita Zonius, Head of Communications, ANZ Australia
Here’s the deal. It’s estimated people around the world have collectively generated around 4 zettabytes of content to date.
In his book Breaking Banks, founder and CEO of Moven Brett King says creating four zettabytes of content every year means “every second of every day, we are generating the equivalent of 100,000 times the content of every book, magazine and newspaper ever printed up to this point in history”.
Add to the mix our obsession with smart devices and apps that can help us do almost anything, you may wonder sometimes whether your team can hear you above all the ‘noise’.
Are your people clear about your organisation’s story and their role in it? Or does it feel like everyone’s got a different take on it all?
The answers to these questions matter, because in a knowledge based economy, people will only go the extra mile for you if they believe they are making a difference. If you need convincing on this point, read Daniel Pink’s Drive, where he points to autonomy, mastery and purpose as being the big drivers of motivation – a great read.
The good news for people leaders is even in a world chock-a-block with information, you still play a vital role in connecting your people to the organisation’s vision and priorities. Making a personal connection with your people is one of the best ways to do it.
In an audit of content and communication channels at ANZ earlier this year, we asked 9,500 of our people whether they’d had the opportunity to talk in person with a member of their leadership team.
The results were not surprising – those people who did have an opportunity to connect with a leader had a better understanding of their organisation’s strategy and their place in it. And the more frequently these personal connections happened for people, the stronger their understanding of strategy.
Here’s how effective leaders cut through the noise and help connect their people to the big priorities:
The best people leaders remember when life gets busy and it feels like the zettabytes are coming for you, connecting with your people is a first-order priority.
The bottom line is it’s one of the most important things you can do to engage your people around what really matters in an organisation and deserves plenty of your attention.
Rita Zonius is Head of communications, ANZ Australia.
The views and opinions expressed in this communication are those of the author and may not necessarily state or reflect those of ANZ.
17 Sep 2014
30 Sep 2014