TALK TO YOUR FRIENDLY local economist and you will discover that the United States has an effective unemployment rate of virtually zero. Recruiters are having a field day because job-hopping is at an all-time high. And research has demonstrated conclusively. it's not just more money that motivates people to leave, it's also how they feel about their value, worth and ability to contribute. In other words, overall morale.
Corporate America—and good project managers—are thus awakening to the need for effective communication. “Big as usual,” with top-down dictates, fragmented information and unconsciously routine responses won't suffice.
What can companies do to recruit qualified employees—and get them to stick around long enough to get a parking card? And more important, what can companies do to retain existing employees? It all starts with effective communication, from top to bottom. No matter your title, effective communication is vital.
Back to Basics. The mistake made by many companies is to institutionalize communication processes through a meat grinder of hierarchies and procedures. Effective communication begins with a culture of collaboration. Every voice is heard and considered important. It's a daily interaction, a concerted effort built on foundations of trust, honesty and sincerity. It involves two-way communication among supervisors and employees; it can be easy or difficult, but must always be premeditated and planned. Communicating effectively requires conscious communication vs. reactive responses or patterned behaviors.
Recently, I met a man who spent a year as an advertising agency account executive. He left the agency because his boss, who rarely spoke to him, provided minimal one-on-one conversation or direct, verbal communication. Instead, the boss communicated via a paper trail of cryptic, hand-written Post-It notes on the account executive's desktop, computer and wall-board. The AE felt frustrated, demeaned and unimportant.
Overcoming this plague of emotion requires action that often must start with the employee. It's a healthy first step to approach a boss, share frustration and feelings, provide concrete examples of the ineffective communication approach and then be prepared to listen. At this point, responsibility is shared between the employee and the boss. Both must work to develop rapport and a relationship that generates personal fulfillment and leads to increased productivity.
But one-on-one communication isn't the only solution. Managers can build contentment in employees by providing timely “news flashes.” These could be e-mail updates, quick stand-up meetings or even more formal get-togethers in a conference room. The goal: to quickly disseminate new information relevant to employees.
The value of immediate information is immeasurable; the negative consequences of ignoring such opportunities is equally significant. Just ask Carol, a product developer at a software company. Several months ago, she sat in a project status meeting ready to deliver a status report on a product launch that was three days away. She was pumped and prepared to present the good news; she had worked late nights and weekends for the last two weeks to meet the deadline. Then it happened. A co-worker wanted confirmation on the deadline extension—the date had been communicated to him a week or so ago. Carol had never been told about the extension, yet was in charge of development. She felt upset, deflated and disregarded. When she approached her manager, he gave an unsympathetic response and half-heartedly apologized. A “news flash” would have prevented this scenario. Carol would feel important, empowered and productive. Instead, she's resentful, cynical and unsatisfied.
For cases when preventive news flashes don't occur, such scenarios call for serious one-on-one conversations between managers and employees. It must be a give-and-take relationship in which an employee feels safe enough to be open and honest about the situation. In turn, the manager must be willing to listen, hear, express sympathy—and yes—admit being wrong. Whether someone is a manager or employee, effective communication requires conscious communication. It's an exercise that stretches the mind and the emotions to understand the full implications of actions or inactions, to listen to one another and to be “big enough” to admit wrongdoing or misunderstanding.
Ask What You Can Do for Your Employees. Retaining employees is a corporate challenge. While downsizing has given companies a convenient “out” to impersonally rid themselves of unproductive, unhappy employees, it's a drastic step, a tactic of last resort and a potential pitfall, resulting in lowered corporate performance. The greater challenge is to retain employees who are “diamonds in the rough”—those who have the talent and skills but need added experience or maturity. Such a scenario requires patience, perseverance and a plan. Just ask Brenda.
Brenda is a human resources manager at a large telecommunications company She has an employee who performs well with explicit, step-by-step directions, but fails miserably when given general parameters or when asked to take the initiative. She knows the employee is talented and wants to develop his abilities. Nevertheless, his actions and lack of communication skills have eroded the credibility of the entire department. What does Brenda do?
The plan begins with breaking down the barriers. Brenda begins to inquire, ask questions and get more involved in the employee's daily routine. She discovers if he's satisfied, what he may be struggling with, what he expects from his job and what Brenda—as his manager—can do to help him advance and succeed. Brenda must be a careful, acute listener and then become a coach. She begins by communicating in equal measure what she likes and does not like about his performance. She gives carefully considered feedback, shares specifics, is empathetic yet firm. And she outlines a plan—one tiny step at a time—that defines expectations and goals. Too often, managers forget to develop a clear road map of success.
Effective communication begins with a culture of collaboration. It's a daily interaction, a concerted effort built on foundations of trust, honesty and sincerity. It can be easy or difficult, but must always be premeditated and planned.
The next step for managers is to hold employees accountable, and to use praise and rewards to encourage growth and development. For example, strive to “catch” an employee doing something right, especially when that employee is confused about what you want from him or her. Sound the alarms, broadcast the success, and let peers and other managers hear the news. Pouring genuine affirmation into the lives of employees creates real teams and true enjoyment. It's also important for managers to keep the “big picture” in mind. Rather than focusing on individual rights and wrongs, step back, evaluate whether those “wrongs” are symptoms of a greater problem. Consider that employees may have never learned or experienced success or excellence. Figure a way to talk and walk the excellence that is expected.
Take Action. Bill is the director of quality for a food ingredient company. Recently, he had a sick employee whose illness suddenly escalated into an emergency. The employee was rushed to the hospital for surgery. A few days later, when the employee returned to work, Bill was shocked to learn that his employee had known about the illness and the potential ramifications but she had used all her sick days and feared losing her job if she didn't show up for work. After talking with the employee, Bill recognized the impact of personal and corporate silence about a recent round of layoffs. The result: loss of an employee for several days and a blazing grapevine of rumors and half-truths about more layoffs.
Bill seized the moment to squelch the rampant fear circulating within his department. As an effective communicator, he corralled his team into his office and offered some informal insight about company layoffs, including the fact that layoffs were confined to one department (not his). He also expressed a sincere interest in the health of his employees and restated that no job—no company—is more important than personal health, even if every sick day has been used. He exemplified sincerity, honesty and compassion—key elements of effective communications.
Effecting Change. For professional communicators, nothing can be more frustrating about corporate life than the review and approval process for news releases, newsletters and corporate positioning statements. One communications specialist at a large health care firm said that it has taken months to obtain senior-management approval for the company's “monthly” newsletter. He wants to know how he can progress more expediently by working within—or around—the system.
The solution for this problem is a time-consuming, trial-and-error tactic that begins with analyzing the situation, creating a plan that improves the current process and presenting it to senior management. Doing so requires quantifying breakdowns or trouble spots in the current process and analyzing why it must be changed. Start by soliciting buy-in from key influencers, including direct supervisors, their bosses and then on up the ladder, one person at a time. Buy-in will be more likely if the employee can quantify costs and savings.
One employee, who was dealing with a bullying president who expected an unreasonably large amount of work, developed a proposal that quantified his unrealistic expectations. The employee offered solutions to the problem by reallocating resources to existing employees who weren't as busy. Real solutions. No additional expenses. The tactic worked.
Dealing With Difficult People. David was the newly assigned editor of a company newsletter. He managed editorial content and was told, when hired, that he was solely responsible for its content, development and success. Yet one week into the job, he was already “wrestling” with the newsletter's graphic designer, who felt threatened by David's title, role and experience. As a result, the designer attempted to undermine the new editor's efforts and credibility in a variety of ways, including withholding information needed for a project deadline. David's boss avoided the growing conflict with platitudes—“Work it out between yourselves.” As a result, the editor didn't know what to do and was ready to leave.
This is undoubtedly a difficult dilemma. The editor can begin to bridge the communication gap by reframing his perspective. It is possible that the designer's tactics are not personal attacks or criticisms. She may be exhibiting learned behavior, a defensive tactic of protection. The best approach at this point is for the editor to confront the designer; to acknowledge the difficulties and give both him and the designer a platform to discuss issues and problems. The discussion should include specific actions and instances that have created turbulence and difficulty. It's not an easy interaction. They may have to meet several times. If no progress is made, their respective bosses should be incorporated into the meetings. And begin again. Overall, both editor and designer must work as a team, have defined tasks and responsibilities and feel important and valued.
Managing Up. What do employees do when they have a difficult supervisor to work with? It's called “managing up.” Employees must learn to manage their supervisors. Most of us have a lot of practice at this since we performed this task early in life when, as children, we learned to manage our parents. When employees work for supervisors who resent them because they are younger or more educated, it doesn't pay to be derogatory or difficult. It requires employees to readjust their focus and see the situation from the older supervisors!’ point of view and to depersonalize any attacks. The best solution is to diffuse the fear of older supervisors. Help them to feel valuable. Consider them experts. And, again, apply generous amounts of praise and recognition.
OVERALL, EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION is a balm that soothes the corporate wounds created by impersonal, hierarchical, formalized channels of communications. Recruiting and retaining employees that stick with the company for years is a proven productivity booster. The key is to alleviate the entanglements and confusion that lead to paralysis and frustration. It isn't magic, but the results are often nothing short of miraculous. ∎