Pivot pillar #2

PIVOT will most definitely require a thorough review and possible overhaul of key policies in your organization. Policies are set in place to be the foundation upon which you operate. If you are changing the way you operate, you need to change, or at the very least update, your policies. This will communicate to your employees how serious you are about the PIVOT and give them guidelines on how to proceed moving forward.

Integration of your workforce in the review of old policies and the creation of new ones is the best way to ensure effective updates. Who better than those whose daily tasks will change the most as a result of the PIVOT to get input and feedback? Who else can tell you how to make what they are currently doing better? As you include your employees on the decision making process it will build trust in the new policies and create buy in on the new direction of the company. This will lead to more confidence in their roles and lower turnover when new programs are implemented. When employees feel included in new things, they become invested and are more likely to see it through.

Updated policies communicate the new vision of company leadership. Priorities such as diversity and inclusion and anti-biased hiring practices are great to talk about, but employees know it’s real when put in writing on company letterhead and signed off by leadership. The more they see the vision come to life through communication and training of the updated policies, the more they will support the vision in their daily work.

The environment created through investing in your employees and creating new policies to support the vision is optimal for the success of your PIVOT. Healthy, happy employees who feel seen and considered a vital part of organizational change are the conduit through which your internal PIVOT will influence your external PIVOT. Leadership has created a space where the new vision, created from extensive research and upheld by new updated policies, is now seen as the most favorable solution to the company’s opportunities for growth.

As employees look through the lenses of new policies, it is natural that their performance will aim to making those a reality. The new target will challenge your workforce and if all are working toward the same goal, it will bring more teamwork and collaboration turning the needle toward your destination.