Much of the communication in today’s organizations entails an exchange, wherein all parties involved must act as both giver and recipient of information. This exchange ensures that the information is received and the recipient has an opportunity to express agreement, disagreement, confusion, understanding, need for clarification or any other response. Ineffective communication results when a breakdown in this exchange occurs, and this breakdown can be exacerbated when we overuse, or improperly use, electronic means of delivery. As we all have experienced at one point or another, devices crash, we lose connection, emails go unread in overfilled inboxes, spam filters block messages, or most importantly the message fails to ‘register’ and our human nuances deliver an unintended communication.
Communication starts and stops all effective collaborations. Some of the causes of ineffective communication are a mixture of both organizational and human factors. Time pressures, work stress, a multilayered corporate structure, language incompatibilities, and information overload are cited as some of the organizational related causes. The human factors are mental, behavioural and emotional.
One of the most important ways leaders can practice effective communication is to continuously and consistently express their intent or vision for the direction of their team, department or organization. A leader’s intent, clearly and effectively communicated, allows all team members to understand not only what is expected of them in their individual performance, but how their individual performance impacts the overall goals and daily mission of the entire organization. What’s more, team members need to be able to share vital information without fear of experiencing intimidation, retaliation, or rude, demeaning, and condescending behaviour. They also need to be able to ask questions without being made to feel inferior and uneducated.
Brain science has confirmed for us that effective communications can only occur within a positive organizational culture where all parties are open and willing to listen and participate. It is important for all parties at all levels to be coming from a perspective of positivity and collaboration in order to connect with others and learn from each other. So it is that the skill of Positive Presence and Positive Presence Behaviour Competencies will be paramount for future success.
Successful leadership of the future will require a complete culture shift to a new leadership mindset of socialness and connectivity that shares a common language throughout the organization. It will be a culture shift to a ‘learning environment’ workplace, with a deep need for all employees to see the value in being self-directed and taking a leadership role in their own learning through daily work experience in a safe, respectful, and participant-centered environment for learning. Remember, a learning mind is a healthy mind.
Catherine is the President and CEO of CORPORATE HARMONY, providing virtual solutions for leadership development and organizational culture change. Her leadership and coaching experience as a Project Manager in an ever-changing, fast moving technological organization with unrelenting demands drove her to the realization that a positive mindset and strength-building behaviors are essential for today’s complex and chaotic organizational systems. CORPORATE HARMONY’s virtual platform of programs, coaching and performance measurement, is an innovative online technology of tested proprietary content. The world-class content of CORPORATE HARMONY’s Positive Presence Program develops the skill of ‘Positive Presence’ and the necessary ‘Positive Presence Behaviour Competencies’ for maintaining a positive and energized mindset and increased performance in today’s complex work environment, and leading to a culture of collaboration and connection. Catherine’s vision for Corporate Harmony is to bring the skill of “Positive Presence” to the corporate world as it becomes more complex, ambiguous and chaotic. Catherine is uniquely positioned to impact organizations’ productivity and long term success, with her powerful vision of eliminating bad stress from every workplace around the globe, bringing purpose into the people equation to promote healthy, productive and meaningful work cultures and turn the tide on the neglect of mental health on a global scale. Catherine is author of the book: “CORPORATE HARMONY – The Performance Link for Today’s Modern Organization” Catherine can be reached at: Catherine.Osborne@corporateharmony.ca or go to ‘contact us’ on our website www.corporateharmony.ca. Catherine is available for consultation, and can be reached by 519-695-3407.