In a recent training, I divided the 20 employees into groups and asked them to come up with 3-5 things that support and hinder the Company’s success. Without fail, employees “get it.” They are able to articulate what makes the Company successful and what needs to be fixed. In this instance, it was unanimous – what needed to be fixed was the lack of effective communication.
Luckily for me, that was why I was there, but the exercise was an important one. It made the employees “see, feel, and acknowledge” that learning how to improve communications was not just in the Company’s best interest but in theirs as well.
The training was titled, What Makes Teams Work, and I taught four communication practices that contribute to a team’s success. One of those principles is that each person takes responsibility for direct communication with other team members. While this makes logical sense, it is a practice that employees are not always comfortable carrying out. I asked this group, “What keeps you from doing this?” Their responses were typical of the responses I often get: “I hate conflict,” “I’m afraid of how the other person will react,” “I’ve not had a good experience before going to this person,” “Sometimes it’s just not that big of an issue,” or if it is their manager, “He/She’s not open to feedback” or they fear “retribution.”
Not dealing directly with other team members is one of those silent saboteurs in a Company. It eats away at the very foundation of trust amongst team members, and that, in the end, inhibits the Company’s ability to attract and retain high performing, talented employees and, ultimately, impacts the Company’s bottom-line success.
The good news is that even the most conflict-avoidant employees can learn to deal directly with other team members, but it takes leadership’s commitment to create a culture that gives every employee permission to do so and the training and coaching necessary to do it effectively.
Is communications one of your company’s strengths? Is communication one of your strengths? Start with yourself this week and work to be direct in your communication. Just this one shift will make a huge difference for you and others. Here’s what the Operations Manager had to say the day after the training:
“I utilized the training first thing this morning, avoided the “triangle trap”, and engaged in direct, adult to adult communication. Seriously, what a difference! We both chuckled a bit after, acknowledging that new concepts were being applied, but it was really obvious to me (and to the other employee) how much better and more effective the approach was.”
