Thoughts on Communication

I wrote about my thoughts on leadership and management a few days ago. This post is part of that series and is about communication through the "ranks" of business. You are in a new business with about 15 or so employees. At this point, everyone is doing everyone else's job just to get by. You are doing the work of about 30 people with only half the man power. How will all of these people work together to get the job done? They will need to communicate and form themselves in as flat of a structure as possible. I was at a business meeting several months ago and a manager was asking to be informed before programs and specials launched to customers so that his department could manage it and help customers when problems arose. The person in charge responded with: "We are an entrepreneurial company. You might not know everything before it happens." Here is the deal. For each person to do their job to the best of their ability, they have to know what everyone else is doing. Your business is a machine, a body, a living organism that needs all parts doing their job in the most precise, effective, and efficient way possible -- all at the same time. If one "leg" is going left and the other right, you're in trouble. You have to communicate. This is not that hard! Weekly meetings between "managers" is a great way to keep track. Brainstorming sessions, departmental meetings, cross department teams, etc. Think of communication as the life blood of your business. If you do not talk, the machine will not move forward. Keep everyone up to speed on what you are working on, what you would like them to do, and how it is going to effect the business as a whole. For a manager, this is not just to help the bottom line, it is to keep moral high and to keep your customers coming back. Being an "entrepreneurial company" has nothing to do with your ability to communicate. A small business should communicate more! Do not let yourself fall into this way of thinking. Just because you are an "entrepreneurial company", a small business, or start-up, does not mean you can be un-organized and keep to yourself. Communicate. ..be bold Tagged: communication, management, leadership, cafe evoke, bozeman, montana, small business, entrepreneur