How We Talk to Each Other at Work

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How We Communicate Is More Fundamental than Any Amount of Planning

…improvement in organizations essentially comes down to the interactions between one individual and another.

The woman who taught me non-violent communication a number of years back, believes that improvement in organizations essentially comes down to the interactions between one individual and another. She is an experienced OD consultant, who’s done things like strategic planning with groups for years. Eventually, she shifted to teaching people how to communicate with each other in a non-violent way and learning about the traps we often fall into of identifying with the role of victim, villain or false hero. She felt that was a more effective leverage point to help people and organizations – the essence of whether we work together well or not.

The Fortune 500 Problem Boss

According to Gallup, only 18 per cent of current managers have the talent required for their role.

 

Recently, a friend of mine got a job at a company that’s been on FORTUNE magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” for years. They espouse valuing employees and allowing them autonomy in their jobs – lots of great things many of us yearn for. The company had some great strengths and my friend’s experience there was positive in many ways; but he, and others, felt challenged by the way their individual manager dealt with things.

It may not be the only factor; but ultimately, a lot of it comes down to the individual people involved and how they relate to each other.

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