Why Messages Don't Make It To The Shop Floor

Hi ~Contact.FirstName~,

It can be frustrating as a manager and executive when the important decisions you make don't end up permeating down to the frontline employees. You count on the various leadership levels in your organization to take those messages and push them out so everyone can hear them. So, why isn't this happening?

Here are a few possible reasons your messages are not reaching the employees who need to hear them:

First, your frontline supervisors may not clearly understand the importance of the message, its background or its meaning. As an executive, take the extra time to explain the reasons for some of your decisions and discuss how those messages are going to get communicated to the shop floor.

One of our clients approached me during a session and said, "I had commitment from the executive team that they would communicate my message to all of their departments." To see if they actually communicated the message to his team, he handed the memo to a team member in another department saying, "If and when you actually hear this news, send me a note and let me know that you've got it." Six weeks later, the person still hadn't heard the news from their manager.

Another reason why supervisors might not be carrying the message to the floor is they could be overly concerned with how the employees are going to react, or to the type of pushback that they might receive regarding the message. We want frontline supervisors to feel confident and to know that even if they have some doubts about the message, their job is to communicate it down to the front line. And if there's feedback that management needs to hear, the supervisor's job is to report that information up the chain.

Senior leaders have to create an environment where your leaders, at all levels, feel comfortable asking for more clarification and giving you feedback without being worried that you're going to get upset or defensive. Making sure that your management and executive decisions permeate to the frontline employees is key to keeping everyone in the organization on the same page.

Share with me in the comments below: What methods do you use to ensure your messages always reach your front line employees?

Watch the full video here.

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