One of the keys to pretty much everything we talk about on this blog from a leadership – change and culture perspective is great communication.
It pretty much underpins everything.
It is also sometimes very hard to achieve.
I was reminded of this recently, when I managed to become embroiled in a seriously bad case of poor communication.
An “off” day can lead to a few comments that are interpreted badly by someone also having a bad day. From there, one of a few things can happen:
- The next day it is genuinely forgotten and is never mentioned again;
- The next day is is most definitely not forgotten, but rather than being addressed, it instead gets put into the drawer, where it joins other similarly unresolved issues to simmer;
- The next day both parties have a constructive conversation and it gets dealt with appropriately;
- The next day one party goes underground and tells anyone they meet how rubbish the other person is.
The thing is, we all have off days. We all say things we shouldn’t in a manner which is sometimes less than perfect. Equally, we are all on the receiving end of such comments.
The key is to identify – how big an issue is it really?
- Not a big issue? Then let is go, well and truly.
- Is it a persistent or regular issue? Possibly something to address in a constructive way.
- Is it a biggie? Then perhaps it is worth responding (not reacting) in a thoughtful and constructive manner that builds rather than breaks trust and enhances rather than destroys a relationship.
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Having said all that, we know that humans are complicated and avoid conflict or even the thought of conflict if at all possible. And all this is good in theory – but hard in practise.
But the good news is that the key to it all is actually that- practise. Practise responding rather reacting, and practise saying your piece constructively and at the appropriate time.
Eventually, over time it does get easier.
Human beings are complicated. But remember, any communication interaction is made up of two people – so look at your part in the process.
Until next week, happy leading.
