![]() Let me put it in these unequivocal terms: Communicate, communicate, communicate, communicate…and then communicate even more! You must have open lines of communication up and down all levels of the organization. Then they need to analyze the communication system and make it as effective as they would any other system in the organization. As an essential part of this inventory, leaders need to examine all current channels, vehicles, systems, and networks to find out who communicates to whom. This requires them to take an occasional communication inventory. Leaders and organizations can never take communication for granted. How they communicate with people will vary, depending on the recipients and their positions in the organization, the parts of the initiative they want to share with them, and the timing of the communication. Leaders must think carefully about how they express themselves and develop a communication plan. Poor communication is one reason so many initiatives fail. As such, it’s incumbent upon leaders to communicate in a way that’s clearly understood, without confusion, ambiguity, or misinterpretation. When speaking, their tone of voice or inflections may have different meanings to people from diverse backgrounds and levels of experience. Often, leaders know what they want to communicate, but they fail to communicate clearly. ![]() When communicating, leaders must use different formats to get their message across: newsletters, e-mails, Zoom one-on-one or group meetings, and virtual town halls. Look at it this way: You can’t have effective leadership without effective communication. Effective leaders understand its importance and take whatever steps necessary to make it happen. In today’s turbulent times where people are working from different physical locations, keeping people in the loop so they can perform their jobs efficiently is crucial. Where else would they pick up those poor habits? You have to wonder if some Shark Tank contestants have worked in organizations whose leaders are terrible at communicating. I can’t help but equate the failure of so many contestants on Shark Tank with the poor communication skills businesspeople often exhibit. And doubly fascinated by the number of contestants who fail to adequately prepare for their chance of a lifetime to receive both investment money and the mentoring from one or more of the sharks, all of them either multi-millionaires or billionaire entrepreneurs. If you’re like me (an executive coach, management consultant, speaker, author, and a self-confessed Shark Tank fan), you’re fascinated by the program’s seemingly limitless ideas brought to life by inspired businesspeople. According to Andrew Figgins, a Chicago-based entrepreneur and rabid Shark Tank fan, this is not unusual since nearly half of the pitches made on the show leave something to be desired. In a recent rerun, two brothers, both aspiring entrepreneurs, made a pitch that was so pitifully bad it drove shark Mark Cuban up to the stage to proclaim the brothers’ proposal was “the worst pitch ever.”Īpparently, the brothers had no business plan, no sales, no marketing approach, nor any idea of when their proposal (a social network for medical professionals) would be profitable…if ever. Since I’ve been sequestered at home, one of my favorite things to do at night, as I’m winding down from a day filled with Zoom and coaching calls, is to watch the reruns of the popular CNBC production of Shark Tank.
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