I was in the midst of writing this email, when my phone screen suddenly displayed a tornado warning.
It was one of those warnings that covers the screen and keeps the phone on until you manually close the screen.
These warnings are designed to get your attention and they do. I am glad I received it, because my attention was immediately focused on a couple of things I needed to do, given this new information.
At almost the same time, I received a text message that deserved a response.
As you can imagine, my attention and time was needed to address the critical things first.
My lack of immediate response to the text could leave the sender wondering if I really cared about their concern.
Communication is the third leg of the three pillars of a good team, Loyalty, Edification, and Communication.
There are so many options for communication in today’s world and it’s more important than ever that we have a good communication system.
For instance, how should your team communicate? Is texting, even though texting is not 100% reliable, an acceptable way to communicate important information? What should be face-to-face only? What, if anything, should be in writing?
All of these questions need to be defined by the leader, or CEO of the organization. The communication plan should be outlined in print and part of the SOP (Standard Operating Procedures) for the team.
A communication plan, while initially taking time to put together, is an investment that will save hours of time and frustration down the road.
Spend a few minutes a day for a week on the task and the first draft should be ready for publication. Review it in staff meetings and use it as an outline going forward. Finally, tweak it as needed. You will be amazed at how much better life is.
Remember you get results if you take immediate action on your idea!
