If you ask your employees if they understand your company’s mission, they will probably say “yes”. But do they really? Have you been crystal clear in your communication so they are able to produce the results you want in your absence?
I have to admit, that I really misunderstood the mission and vision of the second company where I worked. A luxury golf resort hired me as the sales manager for their inn because I had past experience as a sales manager at a hotel and convention center in a university town. In the hotel and convention center scenario, I was taught to “put heads in beds”, meaning the higher the occupancy rates, the better it was for the company’s bottom line. So, for the first nine months that I worked at the resort, I sold as many rooms as possible and even solicited the senior bus market to capture overnight stays.
Then, I attended the resort’s annual meeting nine months into my employment and was flabbergasted to see that the inn’s profit was only a sliver of their profit margin. They were really in the land development business selling vacation homes around the golf course. I didn’t realize that I worked for a real estate company who happened to have a resort on its property to attract potential clients.
My assumptions about who my target market was and what my definition of success should be flew out the window. My goal actually wasn’t to achieve an 100% occupancy rate each night, but rather to offer a flawless, quality experience for the high-income guest so they may consider buying a second home on the property. So, I focused my sales on the high-income and corporate market and made sure to secure the best available tee times and dinner reservations so they would experience for the ultimate weekend getaway experience.
When you train employees, take time to discuss your mission and vision statements. Define the words and what they mean to you as a company and possibly discuss the values that are behind those words. Employees have immensely diverse work and life experiences and will bring their own perspective into the job. You need to coach and train them so they align with yours.
The Next Phase: Be An Inspirational Leader After the last fifteen months or so, returning to “normal” or whatever the equivalent of that has evolved,
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Hi, I’m Angela Freeman! I’m a website/graphic designer and photographer and have been working in the print and design industry for over 35 years, both here in the USA and back home in my native Scotland. For the past 5 years I have mainly been concentrating on website design, which I LOVE, and I now have more than 30 websites under my belt. If you would like to talk websites, whether it’s updating your old website, website maintenance, or creating a brand new website contact me though Jeanne.
