The Hunt

They say hindsight is 20/20.  True, it is always easiest to see things after the fact.

But imagine if you could correctly get ahead of the game and visualize the future?  Imagine the power in foresight.

You’d have a clear vision for employees.  A direct path for managers.  A guide to the company’s role in the industry.

Why does vision matter?  I’d argue that vision directly relates to achieving optimal employee performance.  For employees to perform at their best, companies must have vision AND must communicate this vision clearly to employees.

But how?  Here are five ways to optimize employee performance through company vision.

1. Company vision has to be in writing.

It takes time to create a vision statement.  It often takes research, evaluating metrics, comparing data from years past, and hours in a conference room talking about industry trends and the company’s future.  Putting this work in should result in a broad, 1-2 sentence statement about the company’s purpose.  For example, PayPal’s vision statement is “The web’s most convenient, secure and cost effective payments solution.”  Google’s vision statement is “To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”

Broad overall vision statements like these are necessary, but it is also useful for companies to come up with more narrow yearly statements of goals.  Looking at Google’s vision statement for example, one could ask specifically how they will organize the world’s information this year.

Both overall vision statement and specific year-to-year goals should be in writing, and distributed in many ways to employees– posted in offices, printed and on desks, used as email signatures, and more.

2. Employees need to know how their role ties into the vision.

Employees should know how their daily tasks contribute to the overall and yearly company vision statement.  For example, can an HR manager explain how her role contributes to the vision?  Can a data entry representative explain how he contributes?  Knowing this will bring purpose to the employee and help maximize performance.

3. Train employees to meet vision goals.

Employee performance will never be optimal without continuous training and mentoring.  Good training starts with knowing the needs of the employees.  Also, good training happens when trainers don’t train too high above or below employees’ levels of understanding.  A trainer may need to be trained first.  Instilling a mentorship program is always a good idea.

Don’t offer training for the sake of training.  Offer training that supports the company vision and goals.

4. Employees should have personal stake in the vision.

Employees will perform better and be more aligned with the vision if they have a personal stake.  This may be a bonus program, a tie in to yearly salary, or another company-wide reward given if goals are met.

5. Performance can be optimized through positive feedback.

There is power in positive feedback.  In fact, a Gallup study found that strengths-based employee feedback resulted in a 12.5 percent increase in productivity.

Employees work for the approval and feedback of their superiors.  So, give it regularly, make it specific, and tie it into overall vision.

Ruth Mayhew of Chron states: “Regular feedback from supervisors is another essential part of improving employee job performance. Coaching employees on-the-job and giving informal feedback on a continuous basis are forms of employee coaching that work wonders in optimizing performance.”

How feedback is delivered plays a significant role in the manager-employee relationship. So much so that Indeed lists “seeking a better management relationship” as one of the top five reasons employees leave their jobs.

How can managers tailor feedback so they are sensitive to personality differences while still being effective?

Do you have the vision it takes to optimize employee performance?

Artemis Consultants helps companies get the right team in place, a team that fits a vision for success.  Please visit our website to see how Artemis’s services can make your vision a reality.