CHICAGO — Even the most thoughtful communication strategies will occasionally fall short, leaving drycleaning operators to diagnose what went wrong and chart a path forward.
When messages aren’t getting through, the solution often lies not in communicating more, but in examining underlying issues and demonstrating leadership through direct action.
In Part 1 of this series, we examined the challenges leaders have in communicating to today’s employees, and the benefits of building structure into your communication efforts. In Part 2, we explored how to select the correct ways to communicate various messages and how to measure how well those messages are getting through.
Today, we’ll conclude by looking at ways to troubleshoot potential communications issues and the importance of creating positive messages.
When Communication Isn’t Working
When messages aren’t getting through despite best efforts, Sean Abbas, president of Threads Inc., recommends stepping back to examine the underlying issues rather than simply intensifying communication efforts.
He suggests that persistent communication problems often indicate deeper issues.
“If you’re trying to communicate something and it’s not working, then you just haven’t made the case for it,” Abbas says. “You haven’t told a story. You haven’t given cause and effect. Or No. 2, maybe it’s not a communication issue but a problem in your process. Maybe you’ve got a supervisor who’s not effectively communicating what needs to be said.”
Investigate rather than assume: “I would simply go out and say, ‘Hey, come in and talk to me for a minute. What’s going on here? We’re still having issues with this. Help me understand what we’re not doing so we can get this resolved.’”
Leading by Example
Abbas has found that consistent leadership behavior and a willingness to address issues directly rather than through intermediaries are needed to back effective communication.
He learned a lesson early in his career involving a group of employees leaving early on payday, against policy. Rather than make a general announcement to all employees, he chose direct confrontation.
“I just stood outside the door, and when they walked out, I was standing there, and I looked at my watch,” he says. “I asked, ‘What’s going on, fellas?’ After that conversation, the problem never happened again.”
The true lesson extended beyond the immediate issue, he says, because the other employees recognized that Abbas was demonstrating leadership.
“I could have taken that moment and had a company meeting and said, ‘It’s come to my attention…,’” he says. “I could have done what 99% of people would do, and 99% of my employees would have looked at me and said, ‘How do you not know who’s leaving early? Why are you wasting our time talking about this?’ I’m worried about 146 people, not just four people.”
Creating Positive Communication Moments
Effective leadership communication is about more than addressing problems. It’s about creating positive moments that reinforce good work and build team morale.
“Say you got together at a company meeting to say, ‘Hey, last week I noticed Sam do this. And let me tell you why what Sam did is important to me. Let me tell you why I noticed it. And let me tell you why I think it’s a big deal.’ Using opportunities like that to communicate positive things is a really good way to avoid communication letdowns and problems that blow up down the road.”
This positive approach requires leaders to stay engaged and observant.
“Unless you trust that person like an owner and unless the employees look at them like an owner, leaders should never hand off leadership-based communication to others,” Abbas says. “There’s something about the supervisor coming out and saying something to you versus the owner coming out and saying something to you.”
Creating an environment where communication flows both ways requires work to build a culture of continuous learning and mutual respect, Jan Barlow, owner of Jan’s Professional Dry Cleaners in Clio, Mich., believes.
“All I do is ask questions and listen,” she says. “I’m the coach, but I’m also the student. I’m definitely a teacher who can be taught, even though it’s my name on the sign. Do I learn from them every single day? Absolutely, and all day long. It is really about appreciating what people bring to the job.”
For Part 1 of this series, click HERE. For Part 2, click HERE.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Dave Davis at [email protected].
