So, this is our new Covid-19 reality. Many small businesses are temporarily surviving with some or all the staff working from home. Some are closed with dim prospects for ever reopening.
Some are even flourishing, if their products or services are in greater demand now than they were in February, like florists, take-out only food shops, commercial cleaning firms and … liquor stores.
Last month, we discussed how to make meetings work better by thorough planning. Assuming that you now do that, the next two steps are to meet as planned and then follow up thoroughly.
Ask any group of entrepreneurs what they think about meetings at work. You’ll probably hear comments like “ … too long … unorganized … #$%&*(@# waste of time … always start late … no action … I hate meetings.”
(Looks like it’s time for my annual rant about poor listening skills in the workplace.)
As workplace communicators, we obviously spend a lot of time each day communicating verbally. Therefore, we spend a lot of time listening … or should. Problem is, we don’t listen very well. Especially those of us Type A Driver Entrepreneurs. Sound familiar? We regularly fall victim to one or more of these seven Barriers to Listening:
I’m tired of ranting about this issue often in ‘Communicate ‘Confidently!’. Unfortunately, the problem still exists and I wonder if I’m the only communicator who cares. So, here I go again … and don’t try to stop me.
You give your boss feedback in the same way and for the same reasons as he or she should be giving you feedback – to reinforce improvements and enhance performance.
Many business professionals diligently attempt to practice the ‘Golden Rule’ at work that we all learned as youngsters. A workplace communication version of that philosophy would be ‘Communicate with other people the way you want them to communicate with you.’ While a nice warm and fuzzy concept, a quick reality check indicates two serious flaws in the logic: the ‘Golden Rule’ assumes ‘everyone is the same and that ‘everyone is the same as you.’
Management-staff one-on-one meetings should be a regular component of any organization’s Performance Management system. They allow for maintaining professional relationships and providing constructive ‘Plus/Delta’ feedback.
Time to review the Art and Science of Delegation – an essential leadership skill for entrepreneurs and discuss three important questions.
Article published on October 18, 2018
By Selena Li
Fund professionals in Asia are no strangers to working overtime, but when long hours are taking a toll on one’s health and life, whether and how to tell your superiors can be challenging.
The “upward” communication with a manager demands a thorough evaluation beforehand followed by careful preparation, as well as execution finesse, experts say.