by Brad Clarke | Nov 13, 2014 | Communication, Leadership Training, Performance Improvement
Many Victorian businesses are plagued by poor communication. Its not that we can’t communicate, we’re just forgetting how to! Question – What do these four have in common? Vervet Monkey Bottle Nosed Dolphin African Bee Laughing Kookaburra Answer – they are exceptional communicators! So where are the Humans? And why aren’t they on the list? The reason is easy, we are simply not exceptional communicators; far from it. I would argue that communication is the single most important aspect of society and the way it functions; it defines almost every interaction we have with every other person on the planet, yet guess what raises its treacherous, scaly head in just about every single organisational culture survey completed by employees… What is it? So why is this happening? Why are we so incompetent in the language of communication? Perhaps there is a clue in that very question? Firstly, I want to clarify that ‘language’ is a system for communicating; its one of many systems within the animal kingdom and one that we have come to rely heavily upon, whilst the other forms, so well utilised by our friends (monkey, dolphin, bee, magpie) have become less relevant. Secondly, language is a set of words, agreed to and understood by a common user group. Effective communication! To successfully communicate, there needs to be a transaction, just like any other transaction we make a thousand times a day: One party gives an item; A second party receives an item; Both parties agree that the item is transferred and the transaction complete. Example: I visit an ATM I...
by Brad Clarke | Oct 9, 2014 | Communication, Leadership Training, Performance Improvement
Effective Communication is paramount to organisational success; Poor communication can be fatal! The Problem Dynamic For over a decade I arm-wrestled with Federal and State contracts in the field of Social Services. Unsurprisingly, considering the complexity of these contracts, I also wrestled with staff, on a daily basis, trying to get them to deliver the contract within the prescribed parameters. I felt I was communicating honestly, openly and clearly, yet I could never find real traction in establishing a platform of performance that was required. The Diagnosis In mid 2011, after throwing my hands into the air in resignation, I came across the concept of “The CEO’s Disease”. It was a pivotal moment in my journey towards rebuilding my career and highlighted the significant issues caused by poor communication, whilst giving a diagnosis, a range of symptoms and finally, a cure. As I learned of this putrid disease, I became intimately aware that this disease had run rampant through my previous place of employ. I realised that it was nobody’s fault, it was a disease of unawareness and ineffectiveness, despite extraordinary effort and commitment. The Symptoms Effective communication, or lack thereof, can play a very large role in an organisation’s overall performance. “Poor Communication” consistently rates as one of the major disabling factors across vertical and horizontal business structures as indicated by the Sustainable Organisational Culture Survey. Moreover, perception of poor communication channels running vertically through the organisation (ie. from the CEO to the shopfloor) has significant impacts on morale, motivation and effort of people at the lower levels of the organisation. Often, the CEO and senior members of...
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