Even if your team is always communicating, whether via texting or calling, doesn’t mean they are communicating effectively. Communication goes past the exchange of words. There are many reasons for poor communication on a team. From the article, How to Fix Communication Problems within Your Leadership Team in the Irrigation and Green Industry Magazine, author Tom Borg gives the following list of reasons for miscommunication.Â
Some reasons for this include:
- lack of self confidence
- an environment and penalizes independent thinking
- conflicting behavioral stiles
- internal politics
- one-upmanship
Although Borg goes on to list other factors, it is clear that if an environment of open communication and understanding is not established, miscommunication can form. It is impossible to develop a team with perfect communication all the time because at the end of the day, we are human. However, it is crucial to give your team the opportunity to voice their opinion and play a larger role in the company.
Seek out their opinions and ideas and ask for their thoughts/feedback before changing anything or starting something new. Employees want to feel included. They are the ones representing your business and interacting with the clients on a daily basis. Due to this they hear what the clients are looking for and what they need. Getting your employees’ feedback and opinions will make them feel included and essential to the business. The more ties you create for your team within the company the more dedicated and loyal they will be.
Recognizing that each of your team members learns differently, works differently and is just overall different than everyone else is the first step to developing and understanding your crew. We are in a time that different generations of workers are all mingled in one. The vets and the new bees are all slaving away in the industry. Knowing how your staff works and operates will make managing and hiring that much easier.
Keep up the company culture you’ve built. Get feedback from your staff periodically, offer incentives, have motivating morning meetings and reward them for their hard work. Training is also a great way to keep people. When someone feel like they are excelling and learning they will be more motivated and fulfilled in a position. Luckily, Wolf Creek Company offers online classes and has hand-on classes during the winter months. Take advantage of these to make your team stronger and better.
