When it comes to maintaining a productive business, the role of communication in leadership cannot be emphasized enough. Without it, numerous communication issues can arise that affect productivity and employee morale. To help you with your own business communication journey, learn what makes communication a leadership must-have.
Good Communication Helps You Identify Workplace Problems
Communication skills make it easier to identify and resolve problems in the workplace. Perhaps there is a tiff between two coworkers who usually get along, or there’s a communication gap between two departments. By putting your hard-earned skills into practice, you save time and energy. For example, say one employee has had enough of another employee’s inability to respond to emails in a timely manner. The first employee “blows up” at the second employee during lunch hour as a result, creating a spectacle. After intervening, ask questions such as “What happened prior to this incident?”, “How long has this problem been going on?”, and “What would you like to see happen to resolve this problem?”
Allowing the employees in question to expand on the issue and discuss what they would like to see happen helps you determine the heart of the problem quickly. As a result, you can take more decisive action, such as implementing an email response “window of time.”
Good Communication Improves Productivity
Without healthy communication, staying productive in the workplace becomes challenging. Team member questions might go unanswered, while tasks and projects may not get assigned to the right people. Deadlines can woosh by as well because of lacking communication. As you and your fellow managers hone your communication skills, it becomes easier to converse with employees, provide detailed answers to questions, and ensure projects are completed on time. Excellent productivity typically results in higher revenue streams, which the company owners will undoubtedly love. You’ll enjoy greater job security as well!
Good Communication Contributes to Positive Workplace Relationships
One of the numerous keys to a healthy work environment is positive professional relationships. If team members feel like they cannot ask you questions or make inquiries that go unanswered, resentment builds. The workplace becomes increasingly tense as a result, which usually means employees are less-than-enthused about going to work.
While you don’t have to have in-depth conversations with everyone on your team every day, it is important to “keep in touch.” Perhaps you spend one afternoon a week going around to everyone and seeing how they are. Is there anything they need clarification on? How are their tasks and projects going? Are there any other questions they have that you or one of your fellow managers can answer? Biweekly meetings on Zoom or a similar channel is another means of staying in communication with your staff, as is saying they can “slack you” at any time with questions (assuming your company uses Slack).
For more about the role of communication in leadership, conflict resolution practices, and other ways to maintain a healthy work environment, get in touch with us today!
