Even if you create the most life-changing business strategy for your service station, it won’t be worth much if it isn’t executed by your employees. These frontline employees are key players in your strategy, as they’re the people who interact with customers and have the power to see your business strategy to fruition.
But the truth of the matter is that many employees remain in the dark about business strategy. These strategies are created by owners or managers whom they don’t spend a lot of time with – in some cases, they might not be aware that there’s even a strategy at play.
Since your employees are so integral to your business strategy, they need to understand the business strategy. Here’s how you can help them understand and drive your service station’s strategy.
Use Excellent Communication
If your employees helped come up with the strategy, you’re already one step ahead. But if they haven’t, the strategy must be communicated to them in an effective way, across your entire organisation. Your strategy will be seen as real, achievable, and applicable if managers relay it to employees and disperse the information to everyone involved in its execution.
Your team needs to know what they’re trying to achieve and how to measure the strategy’s effectiveness.
Avoid Dictating
You can set the vision for your employees, but you don’t need to spoon-feed them the steps on how to reach the strategy’s goal. If you specify these steps too much, you remove an employee’s agency and sense of ownership.
Instead of dictating, ask them their opinion on the steps needed to move forward. This will not only give them purpose, but it will open your mind to new tactics.
Remember Your Company Values
Falling back on your company values to help you make tough decisions is always a good idea, and your employees can use this method, too. Values can help guide your actions and get you out of tough situations where one party may be left with the short end of the stick.
Quick Tips
Some takeaways from involving your employees in your strategy:
- Include frontline employees in the creation of strategy whenever you can
- Recall times when employees used company values to guide strategy-related decisions
- Remain open to hearing input regarding reaching company goals
A great strategy can put your business on the map, but only excellent execution can keep it there, and the best assets to implement that strategy are your employees.