"Straight Down the Fairway"

Any golfers out there will immediately recognise this phrase as the words they focus on as they prepare to tee off. It is an obvious goal - but it is not always easy to achieve!

Even the smallest deviation of the golf club at point it makes impact with the golf ball will send the ball anywhere but straight down the fairway. A fraction of a millimetre at point of contact could become 20 or 30 yards to either the left or the right by the time the ball has finished its journey. After that the next shot becomes more difficult - and if a good recovery cannot be achieved - the one after is more difficult still, and so it goes on.

Before all you amateur golfers begin re-living that worst ever round of your life, and you non-golfers begin to lose interest, allow me to make application of this analogy to performance management in the workplace.

Traditionally at this time of year many new plans are unveiled and communicated down from senior managers, through the hierarchy, and on towards the front line staff. Similar to that initial tee shot on the golf course, this communication needs to be hit 'straight down the fairway' to have the best chance of success as the year rolls on. Even the slightest deviation at this early stage will lead to a much bigger margin of error later on - and a very difficult recovery plan may be required which will put more pressure on the business than would have been the case had the initial communication been delivered more successfully.

To lay the best possible foundation for success it is imperative that every manager in an organisation provides a consistent, coherent and crystal clear message, that does not deviate from the strategy, goals and aims that underpin the original plan.

How confident are we that everyone in our management structure will communicate in this way to their teams? As our plans for 2011 are cascaded, either over recent weeks or in the coming weeks, can we be absolutely certain that every 'tee shot' in our business travels 'straight down the fairway'?