A few months ago, I started a new tradition with #TeamGeben. Once a month, I provide a detailed update about how the company is doing—something I call the “State of the Agency.”
My presentation includes updates on the business development pipeline, what staff utilization looks like, what positions we’d be filling in the next few months, and even which clients were past due on payments. We talk about budget, revenue (projected vs actual) and growth plans.
Sharing this information in this format for the first time, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Would they be bored or disinterested? Did this stuff actually matter to them? But I was blown away by their thoughtful questions, curiosity and positive feedback.
Because our team is really invested in Geben as a company, they sincerely appreciated seeing the big picture and where they sit within it.
So what did I learn from this experiment in transparency? I expect employees to possess an entrepreneurial spirit, then I need to cultivate and educate that part of their brain. I need to give them the tools and knowledge to think like entrepreneurs. I’ve always been open about answering questions when asked, but as we’ve grown, individual employees have less opportunity to talk about the business details at the water cooler. The State of the Agency is an incredibly effective way to re-open communication, get everyone on the same page, and help everyone on #TeamGeben feel even more invested in the big picture of our business.