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Vol. 2 07 / 2001 |
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Avoid communication chaos
A healthy
organization is one in which everyone knows what's going on and has a clear
vision of the direction the group is going. Good communication is an essential
part of leadership and must be planned and articulated with purpose.
Linh N. Thai
How to communicate
* Never assume that anyone knows anything.
You never can comunicate enough in your organization. Subordinates and peers desperately need to know
what is going on in the minds of those at the leadership center if they are to
feel comfortable, safe, and knowledgeable about their work.
* Understand the cycle of communication. As long as the organization is
small, oral communication is sufficient and generally everyone knows
everything. But as things grow larger, the need for more formal communication
grows (planned, written, and more specific). Write frequent memos, keeping them
brief. Include one-page summaries on the top of lengthy reports. Have "stand-up" meetings to avoid too
many lengthy discussions. Develop an in-house procedure for regular
communication to the insiders.
* Be aware of "communication linkages." The higher you go in leadership,
the more sensitive you have to be (sensitive) about everything you communicate
(communication linkages). Every time you make a phone call, write a letter, or
make a decision, ask, What people are affected by this decision, letter,
directive? What are the linkages?
* The consequence of not informing everyone is
communication chaos and damaged relationships (all of us have experienced this
one time or another in the past and in the present). Send copies of memos or letters to various people to make sure
that they're aware of your decisions and actions.
* Become an avid listener. Effective leadership has more to do with
listening than with talking. Leaders by their nature tend to be removed from
the front lines of battle in the organization. Therefore, they must listen to
those who are in the trenches, and rely on that information to make wise
decisions.
* Communicate the big picture with passion. Leaders must spell out
purposes, key goals, and core values, and to "preach them from the
housetops." Others in the organization need to be reminded regularly of
the vision. There should be a set of agreed-upon clearly defined goals and
objectives.
* Establish and communicate the chain of command. This is the orderly
dividing up of responsibilities within the organization, and making sure
everyone knows who is responsible for what. It clarifies the questions of who
reports to whom, who supervises whom, and who is in charge of what.
* Avoid the great surprise. If people are not doing their jobs well,
tell them so. Give them suggestions for improvement and a timeline for
accomplishing them. Then give them all the support you can for them to be
successful.
* There are no little people in your organization. Everyone in the
organization is important and has a right and a need to know what is going on
in the organization, the big news as well as the little details. The more
people are informed, the more they feel a part of the whole, and the less
chance there is for misunderstanding.