Page 80 - Great Communication Secrets of Great Leaders

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GREAT COMMUNICATION SECRETS OF GREAT LEADERS
FIGURE 4-3 Ensuring Feedback
Plan
Ensuring Design Post
Feedback around Walk-

chapter. People will respond to the message in any number of ways: discuss-
ing it with colleagues, talking to their friends about it, or sometimes speaking
to the media (off the record, of course). What the leader needs to do is to
ensure an outlet for the feedback. You can do this in several different ways
(see Figure 4-3).
Plan for feedback. When you develop the communications plan, build a
feedback loop into the process. As part of the planning process, let peo-
ple in the organization know that you will be soliciting feedback and
sharing the results of that feedback with them.
Design a meeting around feedback. Encourage team leaders to hold
feedback meetings. The only action item for such a meeting will be dis-
cussion of the issues. You can even provide a “meeting in a box” toolkit
with questions to help managers who are unfamiliar with the feedback
process to get employees to talk about the issues.

Post the feedback you get on your web site. Select sample emails and
post them on your web site. Omit the names of respondents; this pro-
tects the respondents’confidentiality as well as keeping people from
focusing on the personality rather than the expression of the idea.
“Walk around” to get feedback. Get out from behind the desk and walk
the halls. Find out what people are thinking. A great way for leaders to
do this is to make a habit of dining in the cafeteria at least once a week.

ENSURING THAT FEEDBACK IS HEARD
Many leaders say that they want feedback and even ask for it; the problem is
that they never seem to find the time to respond to it. And let’s be fair, leaders