Tool of the month

Earlier this week, the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball championships were decided at the end of two thrilling tournaments. But before the tip-off of March Madness comes Selection Sunday, when the schools learn whether they are in or out of the tourney.

Within moments of the final selections being announced, the analysis begins about which teams made it and which teams didn’t. For teams that won’t be playing in the Big Dance, they are left to wonder why – and may never find out for sure.

In organizations, it’s critical that whenever a selection is made – a key hire or selection to a high-profile project – that we communicate to those who were selected and those that weren’t. Here are five tips for ensuring that you don’t leave questions unanswered when making your selection.

Perhaps you missed it over the holidays, but recently NPR and StoryCorp held the second annual National Day of Listening, during which Americans were encouraged to record and share an interview with a loved one and to preserve that conversation for future generations. 

Here are some tips from the National Day of Listening Guidebook – and Dulye & Co. – to help you get started.

Recently I had the pleasure of visiting with employees at the Carrier Dome, home of my alma mater Syracuse University’s football team. I was asked by Scott Sidwell, SU’s assistant athletic director, to join him in addressing the Dome’s game-day crew of more than 100 staffers.

Wearing my communicator hat, I shared some ideas for them to consider when interacting with customers throughout the day. Then I spoke as a fan; I told them what a phenomenal environment the Carrier Dome staff has cultivated this year. This is one of the best, most energetic vibes I’ve felt at Syracuse since the Dome opened its doors in 1980.

If one of your direct reports were to leave your team, do you have the bench strength to replace them quickly? If you aren’t sure, the next question is Why not? This is just one of the reasons that skip-level meetings are a powerful, if often underused tool in the workplace.

The volume of email in our in box teeters from overflowing to merely flooded, usually in a matter of minutes. The next time you want to pass along thanks, encouragement and kudos push away the keyboard and pull out a piece of paper.

We coach managers to write three handwritten notes weekly that recognize managers and employees for their ideas, comments and questions.

Use the TEAK framework -- Thanks, Encouragement and Kudos -- for crafting notes that make a difference.

If you want to know what’s on one employee’s mind, just ask them. But what’s the best way to check the pulse of the organization? A proven Dulye & Co. technique is the employee roundtable. We recommend six strategies for roundtables that work.

Where there’s an organization, there’s a grapevine.  It’s only human nature for people to discuss, speculate, debate – and, yes, gossip.  It can’t be eliminated, but there certainly are things that you can do to tame it.

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Is your communications program aimed at supporting the goals of the organization?  Do each of the elements complement the other or do you have a lot of “stuff?”  This checklist can help ...