Communication Will Make or Break Your Great Game™ Implementation

LessonsFromTheField_Blog

In an open-book company, communication can make or break the success of your Game. MiniGames™, Huddles, and scoreboards are simply tools that are only as good as the communication and actions you create around them. Check out these tips from Great Game^™ Coach, Dave Scholten, about communicating effectively to maximize The Game at your Business.

The Critical Number is More Than Just a Number, It’s a Cause!

The Critical Number™ is that one element that is vital to the long-term success of the company, and it’s important to keep it top-of-mind for all employees. Your Critical Number is a communication opportunity that your employees should hear about 52 times per year in your weekly Huddles.

In order to impact that Critical Number, every individual must understand exactly what they can do on a daily, weekly and monthly basis to impact the results. Communication about each individual's impact and a thorough understanding of the Critical Number is key.

What You Measure, Publish, and Communicate Improves

At Great Game companies, the primary objective of keeping score is to consistently inform the players if they are winning or losing and who is accountable. After all, as Jack Stack says, “If you’re not keeping score, it’s only practice.”

It is essential to increase awareness about drivers affecting your company’s Critical Number, measuring it, and talking about it. All of this will create engagement from your team, and in turn, bring improvement. Remember, "winners win." Folks love to compete and feel like winners, so give them the opportunity to understand, measure and communicate their progress.

The 3 C’s- Celebrate, Communicate, and Resist to Complicate

Celebrate - We grow up in our career fixing problems, and over time, we go to work looking for problems to fix. Although it is a good idea to look out for potential obstacles, this perspective lends itself to the negative side of things. If we support that “winners win,” we need to learn to find the positive things and encourage and celebrate those wins. We have to develop a talent for celebrating well.
Communicate – Many of us love to hear ourselves speak and we tend to overtalk the opportunity. Scoreboards and Huddles offer us the opportunity to keep our conversation pertinent to what is important, forward-focused, and remain swift and efficient.
Complicate - Over time in our career, it is easy to develop pride in our reputation, which often feeds into a goal of perfection. But remember, perfect is the enemy of the good. Doing anything—simply getting started—is better than doing nothing. It is okay to learn at the same pace as the team and to admit that sometimes we may make mistakes.

Where can you begin with the 3 C's? Celebration, Communication, and resistance to Complication can all be practiced and developed in your company's MiniGames, Huddles, and scoreboards. The first step is simply to begin, and there is always room to improve. Do not forget to communicate your progress and celebrate those wins!