Communication+Management

In a perfect world, every company would have sustained growth, generous salaries, wonderful benefits, and huge annual bonuses. No one would ever get laid off, and all the news you distribute to employees would be good and positive. But we don’t live in that perfect world. If you’re a manager, you will have to deliver bad news to your team at times. Here are a few things to remember when you must communicate negative developments. Plan ahead . Sometimes bad news sneaks up on you due to unforeseen circumstances or disasters. In those cases, you need to go into crisis communication mode, which I’ll address in another post. However, most of the time, you’ll see bad news coming weeks or even months in advance. Make sure creating a communication plan for that news is part of your process. This plan should address who is going to be told what, when they are going to be told, and what method(s) you will use to disseminate information. Communicate early . The sooner you can provide information,...

Part of being a manager—sometimes a large part—is reminding your team about policies, processes, and procedures they need to follow. Unfortunately, when they hear what seems to be the same message from the same person over and over, they may start to tune you out. And if they’re tuning you out when you talk about things repeatedly, they might also miss new information that’s critical to their success. I call this the “white noise” problem, because of the way your reminders can become background noise that people ignore.  As a manager, I’ve struggled to overcome this problem, but I have a few ideas that might help.  Use different forms of communication to accommodate different kinds of learners . Some people like step-by-step, written instructions. Others prefer oral guidance. Still others like to see a demonstration of how something should be done. It’s common to have all kinds of learners on a team. That’s why I send out a written agenda before a team meeting, talk about what...

When I was editor of the business section for a daily newspaper, one of our regular beats included writing about the state Public Service Commission, which was responsible for regulating utilities. I covered that beat for a while when I was a reporter, and it was complicated work. It took me months of attending meetings and asking questions to learn the technical terms the commission used and to understand the issues they were addressing. Just as I was starting to feel like I had it figured out, I left the beat, and another reporter took over. That may seem like a strange time to make a change, but it was absolutely the right thing to do. Why? Because that jargon I finally understood was starting to find its way into my stories. Having become somewhat knowledgeable about the commission’s work, I was no longer as likely to ask questions that would allow me to explain issues in a way the average reader could understand. My stories were still correct, but they weren’t as clear.  We of...

As a manager, you spend hours every day juggling your own projects while trying to stay on top of what your team members are doing. Some days, keeping up with everything seems impossible. With so many demands on your time, you must eliminate distractions. That starts with getting organized. Organizational systems are not one-size-fits-all. Different plans work for different people. However, as someone who has been told he is almost too organized, here are a few tips that have worked well for me. Make a task list and use it . This should include tasks you need to complete for your own projects and for your team. Update this list every morning before you get started on your day and again in the afternoon as you wrap things up. If possible, include the expected duration of tasks, as that may help you plan your day. Keep your desktops clear . This might not work for everyone, but I store important emails in clearly labeled email folders and relevant documents in a small number of folders o...

Communication and management are inseparable.  To be an effective communicator, you must be able to manage interactions with people, whether they are your employees, collaborators, or clients. To be an effective manager, you must be able to communicate, whether you’re writing an email, coaching an employee, or leading a team meeting. This may appear obvious, but during my years as both a manager and a communicator, I’ve found that many people struggle in one area or the other. When they do, the results are easy to see: disengaged teams, poor productivity, and plenty of frustration. With this blog, I will explore both topics, sharing stories, tools, and insights that have helped me grow and improve. I also welcome your ideas and look forward to engaging in lively conversation about what has worked best for you and could assist others. We’ve got a lot to discuss. Let’s get started.