 |
     |
     |
|
<< home |
| Volume 1, Issue 4 September 2002 Newsletter |
Something
to Think About: Roadblocks
to Communication Credibility |
|||
| |
|
Can
you remember seeing someone on the highway with their
blinker on and slowing down to let them get in your lane,
only to realize a minute later that they are not planning
on changing lanes? Their
actions do not match their words. Building credibility is about matching your actions with your
words. Building
credibility is so critical in today’s world!
Not only from an image perspective, but also from
a character perspective.
Our character is built on our words, actions and
the consistency with which we deliver on our intentions.
It is also normal to be human, nobody is perfect.
It undermines one’s credibility to be “less than
honest” or “more than human.” Have
you ever wondered how some people get away with saying
things they have absolutely no intention of following
through on? Whether it is a politician, company president, supervisor or the
person on the highway who leaves their blinker on and
doesn’t do anything, credibility is damaged. In all forms of communication there can be several roadblocks to gaining credibility: (1) not admitting when you have made a mistake; (2) trying to be a “know it all;” and (3) letting emotions take the drivers seat. Here
are a few simple steps that can build and reinforce character
and credibility:
Some
people talk a good game, but true success is all about
action and follow-through. For optimum credibility, I
encourage you to make sure your actions and words match
up. About the author: For over seven years Jay Gubrud has helped employees,
executives and association members move their lives forward
in positive ways. To
eliminate the roadblocks that get in the way of our success.
For more information go to www.jaygubrud.com. |
||
The
Manager's Chair |
The Winding Road of
Communication |
|||
| How is it that
communication (or lack of it) is so intertwined with successful
performance? Performance of an individual, team, or the
entire organization? It all boils down to two primary
points. One, the destination and two, the journey. While
the destination for many business entities is likely to
change over the course of time it will always remain important
for everyone in the organization to understand what the
current strategy is. “What are we shooting for – what’s
our target?” still needs to be answered and communicated
regularly or when it is time to shift course only part
of you will still be holding on. This gets to the second
point, the journey. How you travel can be just as important
as where you are trying to get to. If you travel with
a set of guidelines that everyone is plugged into, shifting
course will likely be more successful and, in the meantime,
you will have had some success along the way because everyone
knew how to hang on. Mapping out your
communication strategy will help you keep your employees
plugged in to what’s happening. Take a few minutes, right
now, to get yourself started. THE DESTINATION
– remind yourself what your target is or what you intend
to accomplish with your business. Begin with the end in
mind, as Steven Covey tells us, and write down your destination
at the far right end of your wipe board. CURRENT LOCATION
– where are you at now? What steps have you taken, to
date, that have gotten you moving in the general direction
of your destination. Have you created or developed the
product/service? Have you ramped up an office? Have you
created a network of potential clients? Have you closed
a sale or two, taken so many orders, achieved $$ revenue?
List these accomplishments on the far left side of your
wipe board. NEXT STOP – what
are you trying to make happen in the next few weeks or
months? From where you are now, what steps will you and
your employees take to get to the next stop? List the
activities associated with the next steps just to the
right of “current location” on your wipe board. TRAVELING – what
needs to happen along your travel, in terms of communication,
is an outline (a map!) that reminds you to tell your employees
where you are headed (the destination), where you are
(your current location) and what the next few miles are
looking like. Decide on a regular pattern of updating
all employees on business progress. Monthly all staff
meetings, weekly email updates, charging your managers
to put “progress reporting” on their staff meeting agendas,
quarterly letters to employee homes, being available once
each week in the employee lunchroom for open Q&A,
etc. The information you are sharing has already been
outlined – you just did so above. Take the destination,
current location, and next few miles as specifics you
can share with employees. Continue the process, repeating
the destination every time so employees begin to truly
understand it. As you move along your “next few miles”
from the previous meeting becomes much of your “current
location” at the present time. Successfully
managing the winding road of communications takes real
time, real effort. If you take short cuts, jay walk, or
take your eyes off the destination you are likely to miss
a step that, later on, you’ll wish you had taken. When
you employees can tell you what the destination is and,
even better, when they can tell you how the destination
has shifted – then you’ll know you are successfully traveling
the road of communication. Call on Management Signature
at 952-997-2285 to get started mapping! |
||||
|
Quick Source
|
LEADERMENT Intersecting leadership qualities with management tasks. “Just being available and attentive is a great way to use listening as a management tool. Some employees will come in, talk for twenty minutes, and leave having solved their problem entirely by themselves” Nicholas
Iuppa |
|||
In our next issue – When Things Get Personal at Work
In October, we’ll begin exploring the delicate balance of personal issues in the work setting. |
||||
