I’ve been told over the years that the number one reason employees leave a company for another job is that they don’t know where the company is headed and they don’t know what their role in that roadmap is.
Apparently a bad boss and below market comp and long working hours all come in lower than that one.
Which tells me that if people believe in you and your plan and have a role to play in it, they will put up with a lot of other stuff.
I am not advocating for a hostile workplace or below market comp.
What I am advocating for is the value of having a clear and intelligent plan, communicating it often and often, and, most importantly, mapping that plan to each team and each person in your organization.
This is pretty easy when you are five people. It gets harder when you are fifty people. And it’s really hard when you are 500 people.
The communication plan is very important particularly as the size of the company grows. And making it matter to everyone is quite challenging.
But it all starts with a plan. I know companies that are great at communicating but don’t really have a coherent plan. All the communicating in the world won’t help them.
So figure out where you are taking your company. Answer the basic question on everyone’s minds, “what are we doing?”, and you will be on a path to building a loyal, hardworking, and motivated team.
