Talking with People

"Leaders do a lot of communicating at work, but too much of it is the wrong kind."~ Forbes

Most people like to get feedback about how well they are doing their work.

They like it best when they are doing a good job. Even when things are not going well, people like to talk together about how they can make things go better. People like to talk about how to improve their work, so it is safer, easier, and faster. They like to share ideas with their boss in positive ways to improve things. Most people want to do a good job and feel good when that is recognized. I often found that, as we talked, new ideas would come up that we could explore to see if they made things better.

Some people think that talking with the people in the workplace is too hard or a waste of time. I found just the opposite.

I enjoyed learning from the people and expanding my knowledge about how things get done. I could sit in my office, look out the window, and imagine how things got done, but every time I sat with people, I learned so much more. Together we could solve problems more easily and quickly.

With more eyes looking at a problem and more variety of thinking going on, we could often come up with really fine solutions. While authentically talking with the people, I had the opportunity to help people think differently about solving problems. We could look at the system and see the situation more broadly. Often elegant solutions would emerge, which made us feel good and would solve the problem.

As we worked together this way, more and more people began to actively engage and solve their own problems. They learned to talk together to develop the best approaches and did the work to solve their problems. It was really fun to watch people expand their capabilities and develop a lot of personal satisfaction in doing things this way.

I tried to get into the organization and be with the people for several hours every day. All our jobs got easier and more satisfying.

It is not rocket science - it's focused, genuine, engaged conversation with the intention of making things better!

Do you get into your organization every day and talk with the people. learning more and more together? I found that working together was a huge help for all of us. Everything, including our safety performance, improved.

I would be glad to talk with anyone about this and explore it further. Please call me at 716-622-6467 or email me at RNKnowles@aol.com.

Repeat: It is not rocket science - it's focused, genuine, engaged conversation with the intention of making things better! Contact me, and I'll share this extraordinary process!