Well, we’d probably start in much same way that we start with external customers: by finding out what they wanted. By identifying benefits that they consider most important, and communicating about those benefits.

As we articulate our reasons for internal marketing (setting objectives), as we figure out goals of employees, and identify best medium, we’re setting out a communication strategy.

Once we have a strategy we can go on to tactics, which outline how we will implement strategy: what will we discuss, how often we’ll discuss it, and what presentation style we’ll use.

What we’ll discuss refers to our subject matter; how often refers to number of times in a specified time period that we will communicate subject matter, and presentation style refers to tone we’ll take in sending our messages.

Once both strategy and tactics are in place, we act. We implement plan. And good internal marketing, like external marketing, would involve gathering feedback afterward.

In case of external customers, feedback is immediate and obvious; they buy or they don’t buy. When we turn to internal customers, though, feedback will be less obvious. In general, though, we will have set objectives based on having employees do certain things; in feedback phase we can ask whether they did it, and how well, and how often.

Such leadership might entail: -- taking initiative to order and manage supplies, -- evaluating job results and raising those results to ever higher levels, -- having floor sweeping be an integral part of general cleaning policy, -- hiring, training, developing other floor sweepers, -- instilling a "floor sweeping esprit"that can be manifested in training, special uniforms and insignias , behavior, etc. -- setting floor sweeping strategy and goals.

Otherwise, in a "doing" mode, one simply pushes a broom.

You may say, "Listen, Brent, a job is a job is a job. This leadership thing is making too much of not much!"

Could be. But my point is that applying leadership to a task changes expectations of task. It even changes task itself. Think of it, when we ourselves are challenged to lead and not simply do, our world is, I submit, changed.

Whenever you need to lead people to accomplish a task, challenge them not to do that task but to take leadership of that task.

This gets back to key measurement of your leadership. Your leadership should best be measured not by your leadership but by leadership of people you lead.

Now, in becoming leaders, they can't simply do what they want. They must come to an agreement with you as to what leadership actions they will take. You can veto any of their proposed actions. However, use veto sparingly. Cultivate your confidence and their confidence in their leadership.

When you evaluate effectiveness of your leadership by feedback loop connected to their leadership, you are assessing your world as it should be, and great results will follow.

2005 © The Filson Leadership Group, Inc. All rights reserved.