Managers and supervisors are the glue that holds any effective organization together. They must field requests and satisfy the demands of everyone both above them and below them on the chain of command. They are responsible for the performance of their team members, and they are tasked with meeting all the production goals and schedules that company executives have set for them. It goes without saying that a good manager will be a hard-working, dedicated leader with the ability to organize multiple tasks into one seamless effort. What is less obvious, and even more important, is that a great manager must have great communication skills.
When you stop and think about it, the number one most important job you have in front of you as a manager every day is to be an effective communicator. Maybe you think your job involves something else – training, quality control, accountability, planning, problem solving and conflict resolution, or whatever. Well, name one of those jobs you can do well if you don’t have excellent communication skills! It is estimated that a manager spends about 70% of his or her time every day just communicating information to the rest of the team members.
However, there is more to communication that simply broadcasting information through posted memos, email, team meetings or even face-to-face sessions. Anyone who ever sat in a circle as a child and played a game called “Gossip” knows that a message can end up completely garbled somewhere between the speaker’s mouth and the hearer’s ears. As a generally rule, people tend to “hear” what they want to hear, based on their previous experiences with a particular person or a similar situation in the past. Therefore, a good manager has to overcome a lot of barriers to make sure that he is giving and receiving accurate messages.
In an office, or on a project team, there are almost an infinite number of opportunities for true communication to be thwarted. Assumptions, expectations, past experiences and careless expressions can quickly cause pain and confusion. And, in a working environment, the impact of poor communication can spread quickly and create confusion everywhere. A manager MUST exert extreme care to make sure that messages are not simply heard, they are understood by the hearers in the same way that they were intended to be taken. Here is a simple and powerful definition of true communication:
True communication has not occurred between the sender and the receiver until both sides have a shared understanding of the meaning of the message.
What can you do to help insure effective communication? The best way is to practice the FIVE Cs of Good Communication.
CLEAR. Is your message clear? Apply Murphy’s Law (“If anything can go wrong, it will”) to your message. Be sure your message says exactly what you mean.
COMPLETE. Is your message complete? You know what you mean, but the receiver may not. Pretend you will be receiving the message. Would you understand completely what is intended? Don’t assume anything.
CONCISE. Is your message concise? Most people use too many words to convey a message. A rambling message is more likely to be misunderstood. Longer messages may not be read completely or are read too quickly and some essential part of the message may be missed. This is especially true of voicemail messages that can be deleted when the user believes all information has been received.
CONCRETE. Avoid terms and phrases that are too broad and too vague. Try to be as precise as possible in what you are trying to say.
CORRECT. Are the facts in the message correct? If the information being transmitted is clear, concise, etc., but the facts are wrong, then it matters little that your form and style are good. Be sure the facts are accurate before you communicate them.
It can also be a tremendous help when a manager is committed to creating an atmosphere that encourages open communication. To do this:
When you presenting ideas, always request feedback.
Let team members know it is acceptable and appropriate for them to bring “opportunities” [read: problems] to the supervisor’s attention.
Always be sure that you take some action to resolve situations presented by employees. Employees should feel they are taken seriously.
Acknowledge others’ views even if you do not agree. Discuss all ideas. Do not make an employee feel as though they should not have said anything.
By implementing these steps into your communication style, you will build a rapport with subordinates and a trust level that, in turn, will improve other aspects of your employee relationships. Above all, they will take your messages more seriously and be more highly motivated to give you their best.
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January Management Quick Tip of the Month – The Secret of Motivation
One of the biggest misunderstandings about management is that employees are motivated by nice salaries and generous benefits. This is not entirely true. You may lose employees if you don’t offer appropriate compensation packages, but money alone is rarely enough to bring out the best effort in your people. Numerous studies and surveys confirm that employees are inspired to strive for excellence and greater productivity only when offered the opportunity “make a difference” or grow into a more important area of responsibility. Competitive salary packages will help you attract capable employees, but if you want to motivate someone to higher levels of achievement, offer them the chance to take on a prestigious task that will have a positive impact for the whole team. There are no stronger motivators than trust and respect.
