5 Steps You Can Do

Openness is key to building and strengthening trust within a team. When expectations, roles, and goals are clear, employees better understand how their contributions fit into the big picture; this reduces uncertainty and encourages ownership of their work.

While nearly all of the companies I work for claim to need better communication, I wonder if what they really long for is greater clarity.

Here are some ways openness increases trust and authority:

Defining Roles and Expectations When team members know exactly what is expected of them, they can focus on delivering without second-guessing themselves. This encourages them to work with more confidence and independence. Perhaps a definition of responsibility that goes beyond the organizational chart and job description would be more helpful. For example, your title may be folder operator, but you’ll be responsible for getting folded signatures to the seamstress for final assembly and cutting within the scheduled time and on budget, meeting the project’s quality expectations. See where I’m going with this?

Transparent Communication Clear communication from leaders about goals, changes, and feedback reduces uncertainty and builds trust. Your team feels informed and capable of making decisions that align with the direction of the organization. Meeting briefly at the beginning of each shift and holding regularly scheduled department- and facility-wide meetings are additional examples of how leading companies seek to minimize the communication gap that can occur within a business.

Target Alignment Having a functional performance management system has never been more important. In a transformative business, where companies are credited for being agile and adaptable, it is important to clearly align individual goals with corporate goals. This helps employees see the purpose behind their work. This sense of harmony increases motivation and encourages them to take initiative, knowing that they are contributing to the success of the company.

Guidance on Growth Pathways Clarity about development opportunities and progression pathways gives employees confidence about their future within the company. This can empower them to take on new challenges, knowing that it will aid their professional development. Creating a cross-training skills matrix in a manufacturing environment is a good first step in providing growth opportunities for your staff, as well as providing redundancy when people call in sick or take PTO.

Showing your team, especially younger generations, what their career and development path could look like is crucial to recruiting and onboarding new people into your organisation. For more information on this topic, please read Next Generation Leadership – 3 Ideas.

Simplifying Decision Making With clear priorities and responsibilities, employees feel empowered to make decisions without fear of making mistakes. This encourages proactive behavior, allowing them to act decisively. Without clarity, people avoid making and taking ownership of decisions. This pushes decisions up the food chain, sometimes causing delays and missed opportunities.

In short, clarity creates a stable foundation where employees feel confident in their roles, know how to contribute, and trust that they are moving in the right direction. This empowerment increases productivity, creativity, and commitment to company goals. Take a look at how you’re communicating your messages and ask your team for feedback on the clarity of your vision.

Mike Philie can help you validate what’s working in your business and what needs to change. It is difficult to change the course of a business while simultaneously operating core competencies. Mike provides strategy and insight to ambitious owners and CEOs in the Graphic Communications Industry by providing direct and realistic information, unafraid to voice unpopular views and helping leaders drive change with a common sense and practical approach. Learn more at: www.philiegroup.com, LinkedIn or email [email protected].