Communication is More than a Two-Way Street

Managers, here’s a thought for the day, really communicate with your team. We have been duped by education. In business and certainly in life communication is more than a two-way street.  50/50 doesn’t work. There isn’t commitment. I believe at work the leader is 100% accountable. Performance issues, workplace conflicts and employee disengagement often are the result of poor communication. Oh, yeah, no time is not a legitimate excuse.

So today, really communicate with your team:

1. Say hi to each person during the day sometime, and use their name
2. Check in, How are YOU doing?
3. Praise an employee’s progress
4. Listen to an employee’s concern
5. Encourage your team
6. Validate an employee’s idea
7. Facilitate an effective meeting that’s more a dialogue than a monologue
8. Be available for a question
9. Clarify a concern about priorities
10. Share key information
11. Have your team’s back
12. Make time to discuss a problem
13. Plan with your team
14. Compliment an employee in front of a co-worker
15. Take the time to coach
16. Involve them in value-added training
17. Celebrate a victory together
18. Make a constructive decision on a request
19. Deal with poor performance constructively but quickly
20. Admit a mistake
21. Give your team the credit for a win
22. Express enthusiasm for your team and its mission
23. Smile once in a while
24. Have some fun
25. Be positive not negative

While there are many other actions to take, you get the idea. Genuine communication like this creates respect and trust. It also builds positive working relationships and a higher performing team. However, it’s seems to be rare. Why not do these every day seamlessly in the midst of the whirlwind of work? This isn’t an assignment.  These kinds of actions are more than management, it’s leadership.

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