LOOKING FOR LEADERS - TWO

A few more handy attributes to look for when selecting leaders…

- those that seem to make others feel good about themselves, the types that say, ‘he’s a good guy’ or ‘she’s a great help’ and that are comfortable paying compliments to others

- those that can sell the ‘no’ or a different point of view with tact and still maintain relationships by knowing what is common ground and strengthening that, rather than accentuating differences

- those that don’t bad mouth others or complain about workmates, ‘those idiots in accounting or the upstart pampered sales team’

- those that solve problems in imaginative ways and through negotiation rather than the ones that come to your office and say, ‘this is a cock up what do we do now’!

- those that listen and show they are listening

Not a complete list for sure, but not a bad start OR is it back to… “AH FRED WHO’S OUR MOST SENIOR ENGINEER?

Thinking of a job change free blank resume at www.orglearn.org

WHAT ARE THE PRIMARY FACTORS AFFECTING COMMUNICATION?

Individual differences, Cultural differences, Attitudes about the message or the other person, Stereotyping, Generalising, Beliefs, Values, Assumptions about what the other person knows, thinks, feels or has heard, Age, Sex, Perceptions, Expectations, Emotional state, Jargon, Differing verbal and non verbal signals, Pre-empting, Thinking about your perspective or answer or something you don’t understand, Lack of feedback, Bad questioning technique or not questioning at all, Inability to summarise, Environmental noise or visual distractions, Way in which the message is sent and of course the big one, OUR OWN LISTENING ABILITY.

To send messages more effectively we need to think about:

WHAT WE WANT TO COMMUNICATE: Organise our thoughts. Make a mental outline… (Know any people that never get to the point?) and state what we are communicating concisely in the appropriate order and at the appropriate pace.
WHEN TO SEND MESSAGE: Is this the right time? What frame of mind is receiver in? … Is the receiver going to listen or are they under stress or pressure from other situations they are dealing with?
WHERE TO GIVE MESSAGE: Is this the right place or are there a lot of distractions? Is more privacy required? (Your standing with colleagues and the boss says... This proposal has some serious flaws, in Para, 4.3.a. the etc., how much do you hear)
WHO IS THE RECEIVER: Their frame of reference, experience and needs… (Hi so you’ve just joined, I’m Fred from HRD, I look after MDP and HRM planning for Mobile, Fixed and MD338 production and this is Harry from finance he is our expert on DCF analysis controlling project analysis for our AXE customers)… HUH!
THE METHOD OF SENDING OUR MESSAGE: In person, by phone, letter, memo or a combination of methods… (Ever received a long set of instructions on your voice mail?)

WHY NOT GIVE YOURSELF A REALITY CHECK AND ASK YOUR COLLEAGUES HOW WELL YOU LISTEN ON A SCALE OF ONE TO TEN?

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WHAT IS COMMUNICATION?

The shared understanding of what has been transmitted…about what has been meant… successfully received… as confirmed by appropriate feedback… The key word is: UNDERSTANDING. Communication is not just telling someone something!

Communication is also… a series of ‘symbols’ translated into language and gestures by the sender, which are then deciphered as a new series of ‘symbols’ by the receiver! … HUH! Example – It’s 3pm on your first day at work whilst hammering a nail into a piece wood your boss says to you, “you work like lightening”, aha you think the boss is happy I’m quick at this job, “thank you boss for the compliment” (you say), “compliment” says the boss “I’m telling you your hopeless, like lightning you never strike in the same place twice”

So what’s the problem? The most commonly used 2000 words in the English language can produce 14,000 possible interpretations. Because those with whom we speak constantly interpret rather than truly listen… our real meaning is often lost.

To be a good communicator we need to test to see if our message has been understood as we intended by asking the ‘receiver’ to explain what we have said or what we have asked for… in their own words.

TALK IS CHEAP, SOUND COMMUNICATION IS A KEY TO SUCCESS.

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