In working with leaders, teams and cultures, we often find the need to define certain terms. This ensures that everyone is clear on what's being discussed or decided.
This post discusses some of our primary definitions.
Productive communication is critical in every organization. Some of the essential aspects of communication include: listening, building trust in relationships, being honest in every interaction, and dealing with conflict effectively. Great team communication must be engaging, motivating and authentic. It must help the team to see the path and the destination. The larger the organization, the geometrically more complex communication becomes. With one-on-one communication, we can watch body language, hear tone of voice and create an immediate feedback loop. With […]
Each of us has an opportunity every day to live each moment to the fullest and make each and every interaction one that is memorable and impactful. In order to do that you must make a concerted effort to make each interaction a homerun. Once you make up your mind that this is how you want to lead your team, drive your organization forward and live your life to the fullest, here are a few tips that can help. Review […]
In this “Drive Through With Don”, he discusses two different teams and the effect communication had on the success of the businesses. One team was struggling and frustrated and they communicated very poorly with each other. Poor communication damaged relationships, created mistrust among the team members and any efforts to turn this around were either blocked or given very little effort. Once a team becomes ineffective it bleeds over to customers and suppliers and before too long, the problem […]
When most people think of communication, they think about talking and passing along information, advice or opinions. Effective communication also involves actively listening, knowing when to speak and when to stay silent. Keep in mind that 85% of what we communicate is nonverbal so in addition to being patient, your face and actions must also be considered. All organizations maintain that they value open communication, but few listen to their staff, customers and suppliers effectively. Listening, like any other skill, […]
Poor Communication costs you, both professionally and personally. One source estimates employee misunderstandings cost organizations $37 billion per year. “Misunderstandings” are defined as: actions or errors of omission by employees who were misinformed (or misunderstood) company policies, business processes, job functions or a combination of all three. Additionally, communication barriers resulting in productivity losses had a cumulative cost of $26,041 per year per worker. Leaders must make a conscious decision to improve. Eighty five percent of our success in life […]
A clear, effective communication skill is one of the best attributes a person can develop. It equips you to be successful professionally and personally. By communication, we mean stating your needs clearly and listening to others with the intention of fully understanding what they are trying to say. It is a “two-way” street. Can you identify with this example? It is the job of leaders to go to the unknown and find out what’s there. Asking employees for honest […]
As a leader of a group, a team or an organization you must remember to focus on the impact you have on the audience. When you are coaching or evaluating your own interactions, do not focus on how you delivered the message (what you said or what you did), focus on the reaction you see. That is the true test of a productive session. Regardless of the vehicle used to coach (a story, an assignment, a book to read), […]