COMMUNICATION
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One of the funniest things about becoming a boss is that it causes an awful lot of people to forget everything they know about how to relate to other people ."— Kim Scott
Unresolved communication issues in the workplace can tank employee morale and contribute to a toxic company culture .
Workplace communication problems often build and grow over time . What starts as a simple misunderstanding can turn to resentment and poison the well for everyone .
What ’ s more , while they can be frustrating , most communication issues and misunderstandings don ’ t spring from a desire to cause chaos and sow discord .
“[ M ] anagement has been bureaucratized to the point that we throw away effective strategies of everyday communication .”
In Radical Candor , Kim Scott writes the following : “ One of the funniest things about becoming a boss is that it causes an awful lot of people to forget everything they know about how to relate to other people .”
She adds , “ If you have a beef with somebody in your personal life , it would never occur to you to wait for a formally scheduled meeting to tell them . Yet , management has been bureaucratized to the point that we throw away effective strategies of everyday communication .”
Not communicating clearly or saving up communication for a formal interaction are two of the biggest communication issues in the workplace .
Kim explains , “ If you wait to tell somebody for a week or a quarter , the incident is so far in the past that they can ’ t fix the problem or build on the success .”
It ’ s impossible to prevent all communication issues at work . However , knowing how to fix communication issues in the workplace can stop small problems from becoming insurmountable obstacles . Here are eight ways to get started .
1FIXING COMMUNICATION ISSUES IN THE WORKPLACE STARTS AT THE TOP Communication issues in the workplace often stem from leadership failures . Those in charge must set an example of excellent communication so that others will follow .
Provide your management team opportunities to improve their leadership communication skills through feedback training or attending feedback workshops .
Excellent leaders understand that fast and frequent discussions are one of the most effective ways to provide feedback and that it ’ s important to get feedback from their employees before they give it .
Implement management styles that foster communication and take the time to train managers in the best way to provide critiques without destroying confidence or making the employee feel overlooked or abused . Better bosses foster better communication for everyone in the workplace .
When kind , clear , specific , and sincere interactions are encouraged and supported by the boss , communication flows , resentments that have festered come to the surface and get resolved , and people begin to love not just their work but whom they work with and where they work .
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SEEK CROSS-FUNCTIONAL COLLABORATION Salespeople hang out with their counterparts , marketing goes on break at the same time , and management eats lunch at their favorite restaurant . Often these types of silos can create communication issues in the workplace .
While it ’ s natural for employees to stick with those who do similar tasks or within the same area , collaboration with people outside their immediate circle helps bring fresh ideas to both workers , which can improve team performance .
Look for opportunities to pair people from different departments . Sales and marketing can collaborate on what product people want and determine how to address their pain points to sell it to them .
The more people work together , the better they ’ ll communicate since they ’ ll understand each other better .
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