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.
