I have a friend who over communicates and it drives me nuts. But here’s the thing … I never wonder
what they think, where we are going, or feel like I am in the dark.
Those who lead great, cohesive, teams understand the need for clarity, as we saw yesterday. They also understand the need to over-communicate. Let’s face it. Vision leaks, priorities are often pushed aside, and teams lose focus.
In The Advantage, Patrick Lencioni writes, “Healthy organizations align their employees around organizational clarity by communicating key messages through…
- Repetition: Don’t be afraid to repeat the same message, again and again
- Simplicity: The more complicated the message, the more potential for confusion and inconsistency
- Multiple mediums: People react to information in many ways; use a variety of mediums
- Cascading messages: Leaders communicate key messages to direct reports; the cycle repeats itself until the message is heard by all
If you think you have communicated something just because you have said it, think again. Make the commitment to repeat, repeat, repeat. Keep your message simple. Find a variety of ways to say it, spray it, wheel it, and deal it. Finally, make sure the message flows throughout your organization.
You might drive people nuts, but you will forfeit your advantage if you fail to over-communicate.
Leadership Begins at Home,
Randy
What are some of your best practices when it comes to communicating a message to your team?
Comment Below …
Some churches and organizations are promoting that we find the “one word” that describes us. When we break ourselves and our organizations down to that one word that describes who we are, what we are doing, and where we are going, there is no confusion. This should work for us individually and “us” as various groups.
Sorry, but I have failed to do my work to find my one word that describes me. I had a word a long time ago and I failed to live up to it; so it obviously was not my one word.
Thanks for the comment Richard!