“Avoidance doesn’t solve anything; it merely serves as a temporary salve,” says Tony Dungy.
Business can never run on a one-man army. It is a foundation that requires a set of people that are interdependent and connected to each other. From performing a simple calculation to cracking a million-dollar deal, one thing that is rudimentary and essential is communication.
As our worlds have become more unpredictable and unmanageable and our markets, partners, and suppliers have become more global, our high performance relies on our ability to communicate. Poor communication can cost millions and result in the failure of the whole organization.
Good communication in a company may involve a number of people but it always starts with an individual. The whole chain of communication depends on a single being and if that person is ignorant then it can result in breaking the flowchart, thus resulting in workplace conflicts and long-term difficulties. Therefore, one of the biggest upcoming threats to communication is avoidance. Good thing that there are certain tools on which one can work and through which a person can improve their communication frequency in a workplace.
Here are some common ways we can use to reduce one of the biggest risks to good communication i.e. avoidance.
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AVOID NOT HURTING SOMEONE
Often people think that it is wise not to say something that would make the other person feel distressed or hurt them to a certain degree. However, a workplace situation frequently arrives where one has to give feedback that has implications for their performance and perhaps their future. At such times, it’s wiser to be vocal about it rather than avoid it as it collectively can hurt the company’s future outcomes. Sometimes people find it easier to talk behind the person’s back that converts a workplace into an unprofessional environment thus damaging the company’s reputation.
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AVOID RUNNING FROM CONFRONTATIONS
Avoiding courageous conversations in favor of polite ones and sacrificing the conversations that matter just to avoid conflicts and disputes don’t maintain a good bond among the co-workers. People who engage in conversations about people, go behind people’s back and lack shared ownership can result from not being able to face the discomfort of the conversations that matter.
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AVOID PEOPLE-PLEASING
Wanting to be accepted and loved by everyone is a key driver for humans. For this, people often agree with things or people purely to belong. It can be really overwhelming for individuals if they are not properly accepted in the surroundings affecting their performance. It can create a culture where it is hard to have conversations about accountability or disappointments. It is rather smart to be acceptable to critical comments and even be vocal about others’ actions.
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AVOID RUNNING FROM FEEDBACKS
Continuous improvement is much better than delayed perfection. People are often terrified of feedback even though most feedback if delivered well, has the power to change for the better. Eliminating the chance to hear what others really think means the individual may worry more about what people may or may not think. People can get caught overthinking themselves or perhaps worse, not improving the things that they should, which can further result in the whole group’s performance.
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AVOID FEELING INFERIOR
People often don’t want to reveal a lack of knowledge fearing, in case people think less of them. This is common when they don’t agree to say out “I don’t know, can you explain” or “Can you tell me what that means” so it usually appears to others that they do know. This leaves gaps in communication leaving no place for improvements or correcting mistakes. This can be extremely expensive in terms of collective performance. There is no shame in admitting that you don’t know, as no one is perfect, and you’d be surprised about how much others don’t know.
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AVOID STEPPING BACK
People avoid claiming their own successes and achievements and in turn, avoid building their strengths. Not being upfront and hiding behind the shadows is not how the corporate sector works. You have to own your actions and work further on them. People who are not confident enough to own their actions can never be good leaders and that is not what a company demands. You need to avoid stepping back. Come at the forefront.
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AVOID RUNNING FROM FEELINGS
Avoiding ownership of feelings, preferring instead to blame, judge, or suppressing them inside only disrupts the team ethos and results in weaker communication. Being upfront about the complaints and queries clears misunderstandings and increases team performance.
A successful team is a team that works on communication and creates a common and natural workplace. A good communication rewards higher engagement, productivity, and service to any company. Working on open and compassionate communication may appear difficult but it will lead to a much higher level of performance for the company and result in profits
