Communication is Key

“Effective leaders know that healthy communication requires the energy of connection — with inclusion, recognition, clear directions, meaningful interaction, and feedback as the nerve centre of the company. They know productivity is tied to communication. “ (Solomon, 2015) In the article quoted above, Lou Solomon writes about key communication techniques leaders can use to engage their employees by:

• Showing appreciation for individual and team contributions.

• Taking the time to say thank you!

• Encouraging ideas, opinions, and discussion to drive team’s success.

• Sharing clear information about what is happening in the company, what strategic changes are being made, etc.

• Giving prompt and meaningful feedback

• Being human and admitting mistakes, where lessons have been learned through their own failures.

• Using first names regularly!

Saying thank you seems like the most basic thing in the world, but sometimes the fear of feeling awkward or causing discomfort can stop someone from showing their gratitude to others. We often underestimate the power of gratitude. A small thank you to someone can have a huge impact on their day.

“There is ample evidence that giving someone else a boost, whether giving compliments or expressing gratitude, has a mood-lifting effect and contributes to well-being. This means that everyone benefits — givers and receivers alike. “ (Erica Boothby, 2021)

Companies where employees do not feel heard will inevitably create a disengaged workforce and leave themselves open to tension, negativity, along with increased turnover of staff. Employees will no longer feel respected or valued. Leaders who listen and take on board ideas and opinions from their teams will enjoy a culture of trust and openness.

Cheryl Keates speaks about the five C’s of effective communication as being:

Clear, Concise, Compelling, Compassionate, Curious.

Especially today, in a world of remote working, business leaders in every industry need to check in on their employees regularly to see what they need to do to increase engagement and professional happiness, and to avoid professional isolation. Effective communication has never been so important as it has been in right now. Keeping your teams up to date on company plans, strategies, successes, and failures keeps an employee connected with how their contribution is making a difference to the company.

Early in the pandemic our CEO sent out a weekly email to everyone about the company, this contained an update on how the business was fairing, what achievements had been made and areas of worry. In a survey done during the summer of 2020 it was clear the impact this simple email correspondence had made. Teams were confident their jobs were safe and that they were in good hands. At a time when entire industries were out of work, having that stability was like a warm comforting blanket and it allowed everyone to focus on working instead of worrying.

I have seen first-hand how bad communication by a leader can have devastating effects on a workforce. Where, because of no communication from the top at a time of crisis, a loyal team who would have done everything in their power to save the ship, were all jumping to save themselves. It broke my heart at the time and even then, as a young as I was, I knew if our boss had just communicated with us better, we would have stayed for the long haul and seen out the storm.

So why is clear, concise, and compassionate communication so important? In an article in the HRB, John Baldoni simply summed it up that “people want to come to work, understand their jobs, and know how their work contributes to the success of the organization.” (Baldoni, 2013) Through effective communication our basic human need for engagement is met, this builds trust, gives hope, provides a sense of worth and allows employees to feel accomplished and competent in their work. Essentially, communication is the key to a successfully performing team and business.

Works Cited

Baldoni, J. (2013, July). Employee engagement does more. Retrieved from https://hbr.org: https://hbr.org/2013/07/employee-engagement-does-more

Erica Boothby, X. Z. (2021, February). A simple compliment can make a big difference. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/: https://hbr.org/2021/02/a-simple-compliment-can-make-a-big-difference

Keates, C. (2018, September 10). The five Cs of effective communication. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2018/09/10/the-five-cs-of-effective-communication/?sh=2fab281020c8

Solomon, L. (2015, June). https://hbr.org/2015/06/the-top-complaints-from-employees-about-their-leaders. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/: https://hbr.org/2015/06/the-top-complaints-from-employees-about-their-leaders

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