Put your Team into Top Gear

Is your business or project stuck in first gear..? Or is your business a well-oiled machine, shifting gears smoothly quickly when necessary..?

It all boils down to people… whether you’re looking for business growth, operations efficiency or achieving a specific target or goal. The difference between teams that succeed and those who don’t, can be found in their communication. Most big organisations or corporations recognise the importance of open and firm-wide communication. But most SME entrepreneurs and owners miss this opportunity as they most often assume everyone knows what he or she is thinking. Often these “unspoken expectations” are the main cause of issues and misunderstandings.

Good communication starts with good listening. Listening can be seen as the foundation of effective communication, because team members who listen to each other will be able to respond appropriately and efficiently to others. Active listening should be regarded as the bedrock of any good communication. After you properly and really understand what is being said (verbally and non-verbally), you need to respond by using the following “5C Gears” of effective leadership communication:

1. Clarity

Clarity is the antidote to misunderstandings, frustration and confusion. Make sure that you clearly say what you want from others in a team as well as what you are doing. Taking a few minutes at the end of a conversation or meeting to make sure that everybody is clear on the actions that will be taken, can reduce misunderstandings radically.

2. Compliment

When compliments are sincere, they can encourage a team to new heights. Negative communication that only focuses on problem areas can often break down the morale of teams, while positive communication or compliments will boost their performance and motivation.

3. Continuous

Communication is a continuous process. It takes place through several channels, like letters, e-mails, memos, message boards, meetings, and one-on-ones. It’s your / the team leader’s responsibility to ensure there are regular check-points or meetings through which issues can be raised and resolved easily, quickly and effectively.

4. Consistent

Nothing frustrates team members more than being thrown from larboard to starboard by indecisive management. It is vital that teams know exactly what is expected of them and WHY. And that this message remains consistent throughout project delivery. Nobody can or will commit to a task that they don’t believe in, and nobody will believe it if you don’t really know why it should be done! Once a team leader or manager has decided on a course of action, it has to be communicated consistently, without giving conflicting messages to different team members.

5. Connect

If you want a team to work well together, they need to really connect to each other. This usually happens as a result of aligning expectations openly, recognition, respecting individual differences and having a clear common inspiring goal or vision. Connections between members can also be improved by enabling the team to spend time together outside of the team context.

Communication is a FREE infinite resource for project and business success. But it takes a clear plan and continuous commitment to be utilised successfully! Knowing how to effectively use it will be the difference between stop starting in first gear and racing to the foal line in top gear!