One method that works well for disseminating major changes in my current company are video conferences we call WebEx's. Something similar to this type of communication would be beneficial in this scenario. Several emails giving brief snippets of the required information leading up to the video meeting, including a powerpoint deck or similar, will help give insight prior to the meeting. The virtual conference itself should go into full detail and include all applicable levels of leadership, and should conclude with a Q&A session as needed. This ensures there is written information provided, the information is discussed and explained by senior leadership / third party team that is conducting the meeting and any questions that come up are answered quickly. 

 

My company leaves these virtual conferences up on the platform until a new method is created so there is always a way to reference the conference without having to scramble through emails. Doing so in this scenario would be equally beneficial. Outside of leaving the conference available for the leadership team to view, there should be follow-up emails / phone calls / meetings to the mid-level management team with milestones or key deliverables. For example, my company says "we're doing a menu rollout beginning Dec. 1. All online training for team members must be completed by Nov. 20, we are conducting a soft rollout Nov. 24." There is also an accountability checklist sent out to the mid-level managers with various tasks depending on the size of the project, requiring signatures and follow up meetings with the operations directors. This ensures the tasks are complete and each location is as ready as possible without sacrificing the experience of our consumers. In this case, I think an accountability checklist at each level of leadership is beneficial to implementing the initial plan. However, to ensure the strategy continues beyond the two year mark this method must become part of the culture of the company. The conference may be available and the checklist may go away after completion, but ultimately it is up to each level of leadership to hold their subordinates accountable for results as time goes on. 

 

 

Answer the questions below: 

Share at least one suggestion for improvement to the communication methods proposed by your peers and explain why?

• Do the proposed methods of communication by your peer(s) allow for effective distribution of future updates to the adaptive leadership toolkit?
• Are there opportunities to ensure these methods are more sustainable long-term?