In the face of this severe, take-no-prisoners economic downturn, far too many organizations are responding in knee-jerk reaction to the thought of holding all but the smallest of meetings. Training budgets are slashed. Employees hunker behind their desk, hoping that no one from HR can find them or else they’re huddled around a PDA, text messaging about possible layoff scenarios, pending mergers, or hiring freezes. Performance? Productivity? I think not.
Now more than ever, managers at all levels of the organization need to do that which separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom: TALK!
Here’s why:
(1) In the absence of information, we connect the dots in the most pathological way possible.
(2) E-mail works fine for data but when emotions are involved, only face-to-face really carries the day
(3) There’s a huge benefit when people gather to share ideas, brainstorm new procedures, learn more about team members, have questions answered, or explore ways to streamline work loads.
(4) Smart companies will use this downtime to cross train, to coach for performance and career development, and involve employees in corporate decisions.
(5) Diverse perspectives are critical for innovation and these are best gleaned through conversation.
Bottom Line: The organization will have a solid, committed employee base, poised to move into front position when the turnaround comes.
But this will only happen if TALK becomes the preferred vehicle of communication.