Five ways to embed ‘remarkable’ in your organisation

| March 7, 2016

Being remarkable, that is, so impressive that people can’t stop remarking or talking about you, can happen.

But it requires commitment. Working on great strategies, with impressive products or services is essential yet these don’t come to fruition unless your people collaborate well to implement them.

This means your success is based on how your people communicate with each other, their customers and stakeholders. We need to have remarkable conversations to become a remarkable business. It’s a no brainer right?

So how do organisations get this right?  Here are five ways to ensure your people, team and business can become one of the remarkable ones.

1.      Nip conversations in the bud

Dealing with situations as they arise is the difference between putting out a spot fire compared to dealing with the bush fire. Having the conversations early ensures things get done, and creates a culture of accountability. Conversations are so much easier to tackle before they become big issues with multiple stakeholders. We should not wait for the performance review or the end of project review. It’s too late and has the opposite effect.

If we really want to improve, develop and grow we need to become comfortable and good at holding our people to account, and do it with candour and grace. Too many organisations set strategies, KPIs and values, and behaviour yet don’t develop the courage and skills to ensure their people deliver on them.

2.      Ensure your leaders are the walking example not the talking one

The Dalai Lama was right when he said ‘be the change you seek’. If your leaders are not not leading by example it becomes remarkable, but not in the way we want. How to lose engagement in five seconds is for our leaders to say one thing, yet to another. Our leaders need to develop the skills to communicate with their people and their peers in a way that builds trust and respect, not damage it. Or on the other side, develop the courage to discuss and deal with the tough issues.

Our leaders are so significant in setting the direction and DNA of the organisation. Helping them become the best version of themselves is a two-way street. It’s what the organisation invests in them and the role they choose to play in their own development.

3.      Understand the real truth to make the best decisions

The ‘real truth’ is a combination of what you know (your truth) and what they know (their truth). When we’re able to see all sides, we have the whole picture and are able to make the best decisions. When we are not open enough to see both sides we can make flawed decisions. After all, we might not be right.

This may mean that both agendas are important. If you’re not talking about the same thing, then you might as well not be talking. So don’t create competing agendas – discuss what is important to both of you. Then you will both feel heard.

4.      Focus on making others feel ‘safe’

Maintaining safety in a conversation is the difference between an outcome and an outbreak. When both parties feel ‘safe enough’ to be honest with each other is when you reach the best outcomes and drive working relationships. We need to cultivate this in conversations just as much as getting the content correct, otherwise people withhold information. It is then that people are able to share all the information and we can learn and make the smartest decisions. Relationships built on trust and respect create a thriving workplace.

5.      Don’t just train your people, embed the change

Running training programs without embedding strategies in the hope that people will transform is as likely as watching a training video on how to swim and becoming an athlete.

Too many times organisations miss the opportunity to improve their return on investment, on the dollars spent and time allocated, post initial training. Then leaders wonder why people are not being the change they are looking for. Changing habits does not happen overnight. It is a planned and considered approach. And it’s not as complicated as we think.

When we get clever about how to embed the learning, the success of an organisation becomes effortless and the culture is able to sustain being remarkable.

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