What We Have is A Failure to Communicate!

If you ask most managers if they communicate the right amount of information to their boss, peers and direct reports, most managers will tell you confidently that they are good communicators. Despite most managers feeling confident about the level of communication they provide to others in their organization, the data from our Employee Opinion Survey Benchmarks tells us there is a significant difference between the managers in our overall Benchmark compared to those in our Best of the Best Benchmark when it comes to how well managers communicate. So, what can we learn from the managers in our Best of the Best Benchmark.

1. They practice the concept of “no surprises.” The Best of the Best managers go out of their way to communicate important information so their boss, peers or direct reports are not negatively surprised by not knowing important information. The worst managers operate on providing important information on a “need to know” basis. The problem with this philosophy is that almost always, employees “need to know” well before the manager is willingness to convey the information.
2. They trust people. Very little information in an organization is truly “confidential.” Someone always knows the information and the people who know always tell someone else. That means that the grapevine of gossip is alive and well at moving information throughout the organization. Great leaders know this and bypass the grapevine of gossip by going directly to the people they know needs the important information – helping everyone make the right decisions to run the organization.
3. They demand good communication. When great leaders get emails from team members in the organization that impact other areas, they have the expectation that whoever sent the email, will include the relevant parties. If not, they CC them in the response in hopes that the sender gets the message that it is important to be inclusive in their communication. If the sender does not get the hint, the leader will coach and counsel the individual one-on-one about the importance of all team members being on the same page.
4. They recognize we are on the “same” team. Great leaders do not let different team members and departments play against each other. They recognize we are all on the same team and everyone needs to know what play we are calling and what is the snap count. The Best of the Best leaders we work with are the most promotable because they have the best relationships with cross-departmental team members. As a leader, the better your reputation for being a great communicator and team player cross-departmentally, the more promotable you are.
5. They care! The reason these great leaders go out of their way to be great communicators is because they care. They care that their team members have the necessary information to make good decisions and exceed the expectations of internal and external customers. If you are a poor communicator, the opposite also applies. When you don’t communicate important information, it indirectly tells your team members that you don’t care about them, personally or professionally.

So, how good of a communicator are you?  Do you over-communicate so there are no surprises with your boss, peers and team members? Do you trust people to do the right thing with your communication? Do you hold your team members accountable for communicating well with you, other people on your team and their cross departmental team members? And last, do you have a strong, positive reputation for working well with other departments and team members throughout your organization?  If your stakeholders would respond affirmatively on your behalf for each question, the sky is your limit.