Let's Keep Talking

The growing change to a knowledge driven workforce in our times has made the command- and- control approach to managing people a less viable form of communication. There is therefore now an increasing need for communication in the workplace to become more dynamic, sophisticated and conversational.

As a leader in your team, you must consciously engage with colleagues in a way that resembles an ordinary person-to-person conversation more than it does a series of commands from on high. True and lasting leadership is not really position-oriented but driven by influence. The ability to command followership without coercion is leadership.

By engaging in communication exchanges, organizations can avail themselves the benefit of functioning like small entities no matter how large they grow to become. By talking with colleagues, rather than simply issuing orders, leaders can retain or recapture operational flexibility, high levels of employee engagement and tight strategic alignment.

Leaders must cultivate the art of listening to colleagues at all levels and learning to speak with employees directly and authentically. When we start communicating personally and transparently with our people, we enjoy mental and emotional proximity which is one of the ways we can really get the best out of our work streams and work teams. Questions are asked and answers are easily found. There will be a shift of information distribution from a top-down approach to a bottom-up exchange of ideas which is clearly the need of the business that hopes to last this century.

This way intimacy grows and trust level grows with it. Our results ultimately will be determined by the extent that each person can take the other at face value.

You will reach your zenith!