Do You Hear What I Hear?
If you have a large enough team, you might actually have someone whose job is communications. They're responsible for managing what information is shared, how, and with whom.
For most of us, that job falls among our "other duties as assigned" though it's rarely named as a job requirement or performance expectation.
And yet the ability to communicate ideas, information, knowledge, expectations, feelings, perceptions, and understanding is a competitive differentiator for leaders of successful businesses.
Don't believe me? I dare you to find a business book that doesn't recommend strategies and tactics for success that require superb communication skills.
It's not just sales and marketing. HR, information technology, finance and accounting, customer service, production, service delivery, procurement...you name it. They all require their own subset of communication skills, knowledge, capacity, and aptitude.
You thought you were building a business, right? It turns out, that requires building an organization that excels at communication and it all starts with you. No pressure!
The good news is that you've been communicating all your life. You actually know a lot about what good and bad communication looks and and feels like. Now its time to think of yourself not just as CEO but also as CCO - Chief Communication Officer. Let's get started.
Understand your audience
I know that you know the importance of communicating with prospects and customers. Hopefully, you've put considerable time into understanding your target audience and honing your messaging so it conveys your deep understanding of what problem they are trying to solve and your ability to help them solve it. If you're really dialed into this you've probably figured out what feelings are driving their decision making and how to tap into those feelings to connect.
Now tell me how well you do that when it comes to vendors? Employees? How well do you understand how to help them be successful and are you able to both provide that understanding as well as provide them with the information they needs to achieve success?
It's often not about choosing to share some information with some people and not others. It's about sharing the most meaningful information with people clearly and frequently enough so they can act on it as needed. And sharing more information as they express interest.
Marcus Sheridan's entire approach to They Ask You Answer is to tell prospective customers EVERYTHING you know about your industry and business. Not everyone will care. But those who do will appreciate that you respected their desire to know more and your willingness to share. He's proven that you can be transparent about everything from what factors impact pricing to the things your competitors might do as well or better than you AND will people's business.
If you can be that transparent with customers, you should be that transparent with employees, vendors, and others involved in the success of your business. I'm not asking you to share your P&L with everyone but I am asking you to think about what information might help people better understand the financial decisions you're making and how their role contributes to the bottom line.
Notice, I didn't ask you to think about what they "need to know." Rather I want you to think about what you can share and how you can share it so that people feel empowered to act in ways aligned to your business goals. What can you share that make them feel included and appreciated? Or capable of making making decisions? Or comfortable doing business with you?
Overshare
When in doubt, always share. I go through my calendar every week with my VA, not so she can keep tabs on me but to share the story behind who my clients are, what we're working on, and why it matters. That information gives her the insight she needs to make critical scheduling decisions like who needs to get bumped up vs meetings that can be scheduled a few weeks out. It also makes it easier for us to do monthly invoicing when she understands the nature of our contracts. And it makes her feel included, part of the team.
If your expectation is that every employee or contractor working for you makes your customers feel welcome, appreciated and well taken care of...
If you want customers to feel connected to your business and invested in your success...
If you want even the smallest task to be done with the utmost care and attention to detail...
If you want happy clients to make referrals...
What information, knowledge, and insights have you shared with everyone so they feel capable of living up to those expectations?
Do they understand why something is important?
Do they understand how decisions are made?
Do they understand their part in the process?
Have you told them the same information many times and in many ways? Are you committed to continuing to do so?
Have you made it easy for them to find and share information on your behalf?
What have you asked those receiving that information to do to confirm/affirm their receipt and understanding? How have you rewarded them when they do?
Being a successful business owner also requires you to offer explanations even when you don't have to.
It may be your prerogative as owner to show up when you want, do things your own way, change your mind, go off script, ask people to do new and different things, add new people to the team, or make an exception to a rule. When you do so with out context or explanation it creates confusion and distrust.
When I don't know why the plan has changed I feel confused and left out.
When I don't know why I'm being asked to do something (in addition to everything else I already have to do) I feel overwhelmed and underappreciated.
When I'm expected to meet deadlines and I can get what I need to do so I feel like I'm being set up to fail.
When some people seem to know things that I don't I feel unimportant.
When I don't know why things are changing I feel confused and scared.
Always share your WHY. Not to justify your decisions. Because in the absence of information, people will make things up and act on their stories or what they believe to be true.
Walk the talk
Nothing negates your word faster than your actions betraying your words. What you do matters WAY more than what you say. It's one of the loudest and clearest forms of communication.
Take a look at your vision statement and company values. Now look at things like your policies, procedures, workplace environment, compensation decisions, supplies and materials sourcing, and contracts. Are they aligned? Do your actions reinforce what you say you want to create and they way you want to create it?
Decisions, as well as the lack thereof, are forms of communication.
Don't Assume
Often times, especially in small organizations or tight knit teams, we rely on informal communication styles. Sometimes we assume one person share information with everyone else on the team. Or we rely on proximity to each other to replace formal communication mechanisms. We assume people know things and that sharing will occur.
Don't assume. Good communication requires us to be clear, consistent, intentional and explicit.
If we don't set up workflows and define expectations early on we waste a lot of time and money. We also make it harder to grow.
Miscommunication or lack of communication contributes to rework, duplication of work, misunderstandings, errors and omissions, and business-critical knowledge leaving when someone leaves the organization. It leads to delays, causes bottle necks, and breeds workarounds.
Make sure everyone understands how to communicate as a team - what platform to use (email, phone, text, Slack, etc.), as well as expectations about frequency, detail, format, etc.
Be specific about what information to share, the method to store and share it, how to share it, and with whom.
Design templates, forms, scripts, agendas, and minutes to capture and share information, follow policies and procedures, and document processes and decisions.
Train staff on how to communicate as a leader or manager, to peers, with supervisors, and to customers. We all have different work, school and family experiences. My expectations about what good communication looks like may differ from what others think.
Explicitly communicate about communication.
Listen and Respond
When we communicate we both share and take in information. As leaders we have to make time and space to receive feedback on what's being communicated and experienced, and to actively solicit information from our clients, employees, and other stakeholders.
Create opportunities to listen and observe.
Ask specific, open ended questions to learn and deepen your understanding.
Be clear about how information will be used.
Acknowledge receipt and understanding of the information that's received. No black holes where surveys and forms go to die.
Make it personal. One-on-one interactions turn communication into connection.
Demonstrate what you've learned and how it has influenced decision making.
Show appreciation for compassionate candor.
