Incentive - November 2009 - (Page 26)

Ho w to I m p ro ve E m p l o y e e E n ga ge m e n t Us i n g Yo u r C EO By Marcia Xenitelis PRIMER or department. The key is not only spending time with the local leadership team but also sitting down with employees, finding out what they are working on, and inviting them to suggest innovative ways of doing things. CEOs rarely spend time communicating with employees, and this is one way to break down perceptions and encourage two-way communication. • Communications need to be pitched at different levels and with different strategies to suit various employees • Recognition of high-achievers and change agents by the CEO sends a message to all employees that they will be rewarded for effort • A CEO blog is very effective when used to report on the transformation process Po i nt s to R em em b e r W hat is the role of the CEO or a leader of any organization in employee communications? Even if it is just business as usual, having a CEO who is a good communicator is critical in producing an engaged organizational culture. Here are five ways your CEO can communicate with employees and achieve positive outcomes. Most involve face-toface dialogue to ensure the greatest engagement. cates face-to-face with the leadership team in order to be crystal clear about his or her expectations. One communication tip is that one-on-one meetings be held with the direct reports to the CEO and the next level down; a one-on-one session is a very powerful tool that has maximum impact. 5. CEO Blog – A CEO blog is highly effective in supporting and reporting on the transformation process while the employee engagement strategy is under way. For example, the CEO has one-on-one meetings with the leadership team and then reports on his blog the key messages and expectations discussed in those sessions. The CEO visits each corporate region and reports on the blog the key observations and achievements of employees and so on. But note that employee information tools always serve as backup and support to the real communications taking place, which are the in-person strategies one through four above. These methods also achieve something else that is often neglected when it comes to employee communications. As these strategies represent opportunities for the CEO to find out what people at all levels of the organization really think, they will cause the CEO to think about the importance of employee communications and ensure that it is addressed during the planning phase of any major organizational change initiative. 3. Personal Contact – This is a powerful way for the CEO to support and encour1. Employee Forums – Also known as town age employees for their achievements and halls, these are opportunities for the CEO for tackling important company issues. And and senior manageby taking time to recment to visit employognize high-achievers Marcia Xenitelis is a recognized ees in all locations and change agents, the authority on the subject of employee and address the frontCEO sends a strong communications in business line issues and conmessage to all employtransformation and has spoken at cerns of staff while ees that he will reward conferences around the world. For more communicating the those who support and information on the types of employee big picture. Tailor the are engaged in compacommunication strategies you can presentation to the ny improvement implement to engage employees, visit unique situation and initiatives. www.employeecommunicationtips.com. particular region the CEO is visiting. Hand 4. Leadership Forums – out cards to attendees so that they can Communications need to be pitched at difwrite down questions to be addressed after ferent levels and with different strategies to the proceedings. Follow up on any issues suit the roles and expectations of various that cannot be answered at that time. employees, and the leadership team is no exception. When it comes to change, the 2. Site Visits – A site visit is an excellent leadership team drives it, from regional employee communication tool for the CEO managers, to statewide managers, to frontto find out exactly from the front lines the line supervisors. issues and concerns of a particular region It is important that the CEO communi- 26 | Incentive | November 2009 | incentivemag.com http://www.employeecommunicationtips.com http://www.incentivemag.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Incentive - November 2009

Incentive - November 2009
Contents
Editor’s Note: Incentive Excellence Exchange
Headlines
Amway’s Over-the-Top 50th Anniversary Incentive Trip
Cover Story: Growing Globally, Software Developer Symantec Seeks Centralized Recognition
Strategies: Motivating the Six Workplace Personality Types
Primer: Five Tools CEOs Can Use To Improve Engagement
Travel News: Where to Go and How to Get There
Switzerland’s Incentive Offerings Are Legendary
Potentials: Here and Now
Digital Cameras for the Social Networking Era
Incentive Gift Card Directory

Incentive - November 2009

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