The Messenger, Not the Message

Good Communication starts with good intentions Our communication can create cooperation and camaraderie, or it can create confrontation and conflict. It can make our life at work and off work easy and pleasant, or it can make it unnecessarily difficult. The choice is ours. One of the main causes of the break down of communication is the question of trust. Good communication starts with good intentions. Are you communicating to build a positive relationship, or to ‘put others in their place’? Are you communicating to affirm, encourage and help others grow and succeed, or to put down, criticize, and conquer? People will quickly uncover the intent of your communication as revealed by your attitude and communication style. Once suspicion about intent develops, trust will suffer, and communication will quickly deteriorate into confrontation and conflict. When people believe that your intention is positive and affirmative, they will be OK with almost anything you say. They will welcome your suggestions, tolerate your mistakes, and honor your requests. They will trust you, the messenger, and therefore will be receptive to your message. But if they suspect your intention, they will lose faith in you, and will resist your message no matter how appealing and convincing you try to make it. If you want people to listen to what you say, ask yourself: Have I given them enough reasons to trust me? Have I been consistent? Do I do what I say and say what I do? Do I walk my talk? Do I communicate with their interest, not just mine, in mind? Are my good intentions toward them clear and credible, and have been repeatedly proven by my action? Before people can believe the message, they need to believe in the messenger.

Leadership for the "I-Cubed Economy"

This article came up in one of the feeds from Tom Peters and I thought it well worth posting.

Leadership for the "I-Cubed Economy" According to my recent research, we have entered what experts call the "I-Cubed Economy" ... which stands for INTANGIBLES, INNOVATION, and INFORMATION.

Read the article here

It's all about productivity (and clarity)

According to Proudfoot Consulting's 2006 Productivity Report, the average worker is unproductive for 33.5 days a year. This isn't an accumulation of wasted time; it's an accumulation of "off" days or days where nothing seems to get done. Imagine. If everyone were 100% productive every day that they are at work, we could all take an additional month off every year without effecting our current productivity rate. Or, if we look at it another way, if everyone were 100% productive every day that they're at work, we could grow the American economy by $598 billion per year. In a resent poll by the American Management Association, when asked, "What one thing do you think would most improve your productivity?" readers selected "more clearly defined responsibilities and priorities" as their top choice. Coming in as a close second was "a clearer next step in my career path with my company," which could also be seen as a consequence of poor or chaotic management. Taken together, these answers indicate that productivity suffers when workers are unsure of their day-to-day tasks and the long-term outlook of their roles. Why? Why is it so difficult for employees to understand their day-to-day responsibilities and priorities? Read the full article here

The Way You See Your Work, and Your Life

The story goes like this: "What are you doing?" a Passerby asked of three workers standing behind a building under construction. The first worker. Looking tired and drained, replied, "I'm just cutting stone." The second worker answered, in a neutral, matter-of-fact voice, I'm working to make a living." The third worker, who was singing, said, "I'm building a cathedral!!"

Red Alert: How to Avoid Success Derailment

What makes some people able to go from one success to another and continue to achieve higher levels of excellence, while others achieve some fast successes, then loose momentum, and fall off track? In an attempt to answer this question, the American Management Association conducted in-depth interviews with 41 executives, and found the following traits responsible for most of the failures in what once was a promising fast-track success journey.

• Insensitivity to other people and coworkers.
• Arrogance
• Misuse of confidential information
• Inability to control ambition
• Inability to delegate assignments or promote team work
• Inability to choose the right people for the right assignment and to staff effectively
• Being short-term or tactical, rather than strategically oriented.
• Over-dependence on mentors.

It's interesting to note that all of these factors are not related to knowledge competency about the job or the technical skills required to execute it. They all relate to what can be described as the "Emotional Intelligence" of the leader. What is also interesting is that Emotional Intelligence is perhaps the one aspect that receives the least amount of attention in traditional supervisory skills training and management development workshops in organizations across America. Perhaps a new look at these programs to include more emphasis on emotional intelligence and its application at work is needed.

The Seven Sins of Interpersonal Communication

Communication is a complex process. Different perceptions may cause difficulties in the transmission of ideas and information. Here are the seven sins of interpersonal communication and ways to avoid them:

1. It's Greek To Me!: Your communication can be effective only when presented in a language the receivers can understand. You need to speak not in your own language or style of thinking but in the language and style of thinking of the receivers. Understand their educational level and their demographics and communicate to them accordingly.
2. Overload: Even when communicating in the language of the receivers, you can still lose them if you overload them with too much information or too complex ideas.
3. Biases and Assumptions: Examine your possible biases and personal assumptions about the issues you're communicating. Disclose your own interests and agendas. The receivers will quickly tune out if they suspect that you have a hidden agenda. By being authentic, you will gain credibility, which is essential for effective communication.
4. One-Way: Communication is not just speaking. It's both speaking and listening. One way communication is no communication at all. Make sure to listen and understand the others' needs and points of view.
5. Ambiguity: If your message is not clear, or if it can be interpreted in more than one way, it will leave the receivers wondering about what you mean. Make sure that your message delivers a clear, unambiguous meaning.
6. Wrong Timing: In certain communications, timing is everything. For example, a message of praise and recognition should not come too late after the fact, or it will lose its effectiveness. The "Better Late Than Never" advice may be true, but a timely message is the best.
7. Negative Attitude: Most people don't like negative communication and bad news. Passive, weak, or negative communication will turn people off. Even the most negative, critical, or difficult communication will be better received when presented in a positive, affirmative style. Instead of saying, "This is a terrible idea," why not say, "Tell me how you can make this idea work."