Six Steps to Success
When an organization the size of the Mayo Clinic, with over 58,000 employees, successfully engages their entire employee team to move toward one common goal, it is natural to want to know exactly how they achieved success. The simple answer is with pointed, intentional communication; communication that reaches its workforce by providing clear, simple, honest, straightforward information. Mayo talked at the right time, using the right kind of media, in language that was uncomplicated and conversational.
Kim Mozingo
The Conwell Group
Sounds easy, but of course what appears simple, like a ‘new’ number one hit showing up at the top of Billboard’s charts, is often the culmination of a lot of focused, determined work.
A six part process can explain what Mayo did using a simple analogy: that of delivering a football into the hands of the right receiver.
The offensive team huddles after looking at the environment (where are they on the field, what’s happened so far in preceding plays, what makes sense next, etc.). That is the Environmental Scan.
A Stakeholder Analysis begins before the team reaches the field. The stakeholders in this case are the members of the other team as well as their own teammates. They watch and scrutinize hours of tape prior to kick-off to try to fully understand and anticipate their opponent’s actions on the field. They complete this study by looking at what the other team has done thus far in the game and which of their own players are on the field.
Constantly looking at the environment informs the next play, which is Theme Development. They decide a long pass is best based on the information they have.
Next, they select a Venue (to whom and how they will deliver the ball). They make this decision based on where they are on the field and the knowledge they have of the defense as well as their own players – not just who they are, but what they can be expected to do in different situations.
From that information, and from the coach’s perspective, they select a play. Let’s say a long pass. They Deliver the Message (pass the ball) by engaging in the play then review Metrics: did they successfully complete the pass?
The offense repeats this process throughout the game, making adjustments as necessary during each play by reading their opponent as they move down the field.
This process and that used by the Mayo Clinic used is not linear. As in football, it is a process where each step needs to be reviewed along with other parts of the process. The six basic steps in this process are: Environmental Scanning, Stakeholder Analysis, Theme Development, Message Development, Venue Selection, and Metrics Analysis.
Future columns will discuss different parts of the process along with detailed examples of successful use by a wide variety of other organizations and individuals.
