3 Questions Every Employee Wants Answered

Management consultants and organizational trainers love building models. There is something very appealing about organizing ideas and strategies to implement a particular vision or objective, especially when managing change. Companies constantly look for ways to make training more meaningful, to cultivate environments in which employees are engaged in their jobs and aligned with the vision. Yet, despite all the development models, performance factors, and evolving priorities, employees ultimately just want the answers to three simple questions:

1. Where are we going?
2. How are we going to get there?
3. What is my role?

Where are we going?

Communicating a clear vision and well-defined objective is essential.  Employees need to know what success will look like.  The answer to this question should define the goal and paint a picture of the future.

How are we going to get there?

Providing a destination without specific directions for how to get there is just asking for mass confusion and conflicting priorities.   Employees need a roadmap – the relevant action steps required to achieve the objective, including the expected timeline and key milestones.

What is my role?

This is, perhaps, the most important question of all.  Everyone wants to know what is expected of them, the skills, deliverables and time required, as well as any potential impact to compensation, job security, work-life balance, etc.