Communicating Culture: Eight essential components to cascading

I often hear leaders in organizations say things like:  "We want to build a culture of accountability" or "We'd like a sales-driven culture" or "We want to create a culture where the customer comes first."  It is one thing to identify the kind of culture you want to develop and another to fully integrate it into the DNA of the organization.

To be effective, insist on internal communication practices that ensure mission-critical messages that define the culture are cascaded to 100% of employees.

Here is a snapshot of eight crucial steps:

1. Survey and conduct focus groups to understand where the culture is currently
2. Define what you want it to be (and understand where there will be resistance)
3. Develop the communication strategy
4. Fine-tune  the CEO's signature voice that will communicate the change  (message and tone)
5. Develop an internal protocol and process for diseminating messages
6. Provide a tool kit (messages in a box) for all leaders, managers and supervisors
7. Measure communication effectiveness and course correct as necessary
8. Repeat and re-enforce at every turn

By effectively incorporating these vital eight steps, you will be weaving into the fabric of your organization the basic structure of communication culture that a successful business must have. Try it in your own organization and see for yourself how much it can steer the culture in the direction you want it to go. If you already have a lot on your plate or find you need a little outside help successfully incorporating these steps, seeking outside professional guidance can also be very beneficial for this important part of your communication strategy.