Most employees
these days perceive themselves to be stretched thin as is. The prospect of
being tasked with more work, with which they do not associate any personal
recognition or financial benefits, is less than motivating.
Though your
workforce may not know of Peter Drucker’s tongue-in-cheek warning that “Every great
idea eventually deteriorates into work,” their intuition about such things obliges
consideration.
Several
fundamental strategies can preempt this push-back and even encourage buy-in:
1. Involve operational staff in the planning
process. Their on-the-ground perspective offers a reality check on available
resources not always recognized by management. Then, use operational staff to
champion the project among coworkers.
2. Explain the purpose, with relatable
context. If it is simply to increase revenue, then communicate how this
translates to “opportunity” in terms of future growth, more jobs and job
security. If the operational benefits apply to marketing potential, explain
this connection. For new initiatives to be promoted with conviction to
consumers, they need to be understood and embraced internally first.
3. Prioritize the implementation. Respectfully, assume
workers are busy and that they do not have a block of time set aside to take on
new projects. (See Parkinson’s Law: Work expands so as to fill the time available
for its completion.) If now a highest priority, explain why and how other tasks
can be rearranged to accommodate the new focus.
With Eskaton and a number of other
aging services providers across the country, operations and marketing teams are
conspiring on creative strategies to build census -- immediately and for years
to come.
[NEXT POST, PART II -- JULY 24] Of Eskaton’s multiple
initiatives, effective Planning, Purpose and
Priority facilitate their
implementation. While, others, still in various stages of development, require more
resistance-proofing.
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