The reality is that the majority of employees spend more time at work than in their personal lives. If you are in a supportive, healthy, and growth minded environment, your job can be empowering and fulfilling. Who you are in the workplace becomes a defining factor of your identity. But, if your job limits you, does not allow you to grow and has become unfulfilling due to an unhealthy environment, it might be time to learn and apply communication tools to create a place you want to be at everyday.
According to a recent Gallup poll, only 13% of employees feel their company’s leadership communicates effectively. This ineffective communication cannot only be frustrating but is a major cause of poor job performance. In a comprehensive survey from Economist Intelligence Unit, respondents were affected in the following ways:
44 percent said it caused delays or failures in completing projects
31 percent believed it contributed to low morale
25 percent reported missed performance goals
18 percent cited lost sales
If your management team or boss communicates poorly, the employee morale will be affected. Directly, job performance will also suffer. However, to express your concerns to someone above you, can be tricky.
To best communicate with your immediate boss, it is best to first understand them and their communication style. Here are a few reasons your boss may be an ineffective communicator:
- The boss is new to the company or their position and lacks confidence. Whether a person is promoted within or hired new, they will lack the expertise of the new role. The manager may feel overwhelmed and therefore, lacks the ability to fully communicate as they develop their own niche.
- The boss is an introvert and has a difficult time communicating. Understanding how to work with an introvert can be a challenge. Who do you need to be to support this type of personality?
- Your boss lacks clarity and direction when communicating. This, to me, may be the hardest personality to work with. The person may run an hour long meeting, yet you are leaving the meeting more confused than when it started. You walk away with nothing.
- The boss is too busy and offers little or no time with you. This could be a company organizational issue, or it could be your boss’s issue in dealing with priorities and time management.
- The boss provides information overload in communicating with no clarity or direction. If you are leaving conversations and meetings feeling overwhelmed, then this may be the real issue. What tools can you bring into the conversations to organize and prioritize what is important?
The above are examples, but far from all the possibilities. Everyone has an individual story. If you can relate to any of the above employer personality types, there are several coaching strategies to develop and empower you in the workplace. May I invite you to create an environment where you are valued and of which you value? In next month’s Danville Living Magazine, I will offer coaching strategies that build a healthy and productive work environment. If you can’t wait, then reach out. EYHLifeCoach can partner with you to create who you want to be.
By Christina Dalton, MS, PPS, PCC, EYH Life Coach
