Trust me, they don’t!
Start-ups and small businesses are not the same beasts, but they do share several things in common, in particular a tiny number of overstretched staff, who communicate with each other about their larger purpose far too infrequently. I know this from experience, especially when I train the personnel about communicating the organization’s value proposition.
But here’s what they do have in common: when companies are small, every staff member is an ambassador. Everyone who works for you should know what your company does, how you do it differently, and better than your competition. Additionally, they had better be able to express it succinctly, vividly, and with real enthusiasm to everyone they encounter.
The test
If you’re not certain that your company is so aligned, here’s a test that will give you the answer. If nothing else, I guarantee it will spark a good and necessary conversation that will elicit everyone’s opinion.
Gather your team in a room one day with no advance preparation for this task.
Ask each person to write down the purpose or mission of your company in one or two sentences — no more. This isn’t necessarily easy, especially if you’re a start-up where the mission has changed several times in the past months, weeks, or days, as frequently happens.
Collect the statements and read them each aloud. Unless your organization is the exception, you’ll be surprised and maybe even disheartened to learn just how differently each member views the organization.
Do Not Despair. This is usually the result of everyone having a different role and viewing the company mission through his or her own filter.
While this outcome is true for startups and small companies, it’s also true for large global organizations that have been in business for decades. But nowhere is it more apparent than with start-ups transitioning into small businesses. Their sales teams are often out in the field selling a start-up instead of a functioning company (Sales teams are often the last to know of any changes).
So ask yourself, is your company’s communication aligned, and are you prepared to have a conversation about it? The side-benefit to this exercise? It invariably creates a noticeable uptick in morale.