Can you name a single aspect of business that doesn’t require communication? Of course not. Whether that communication is internal, external or both, nothing happens that doesn’t demand effective communication. If you want to win, it needs to be done well.
That just makes common sense.
What isn’t logical, is the environment in which businesses communicate today. Here are five major communication challenges facing every company:
Anger
We live in an angry country right now. People are angry with their leaders, their media, their judicial system, their schools and, yes, with corporate America. As they lash out, that makes doing business more difficult.
Communication of any type is immediately suspect. Walking a calm, reasoned path through this anger is difficult. Does your company take time to really listen to stakeholders and let them know they have been heard?
Noise
The challenge of making sure people know what makes your company, your product, your services different and special is perhaps the biggest single hurdle you need to clear with communication. When you do that, you cut through the noise. You establish competitive advantage.
Is your leadership team making an effective case for your organization every single day?
Impatience
Customers, employees and other stakeholders are increasingly impatient. In the future, expect anger and its associated noise to breed even more impatience. Nobody wants to wait for anything. Looking ahead, companies will need to find new ways to protect their turf quickly. Has your leadership team talked about that?
Loyalty
Customers need reasons to continue to do business with you. Employees need reasons to stay. People always have choices and they do not hesitate to act on those choices — one way or the other.
Is your leadership team focused on stakeholder loyalty and what needs to happen to earn that every single day?
Uncertainty
There is a lot of uncertainty out there. That impacts anger, noise, impatience and loyalty issues. It’s an important underlying challenge in the environment in which your company seeks to create and grow relationships.
Does your leadership team understand the ongoing need to communicate on a timely basis with employees, customers and others so they know and embrace what your company stands for in an uncertain world?
Confronting and doing all you can to address these five obstacles is an important pathway to success. ●
Davis Young
Principal
DY Author & Speaker LLC
Davis is the author of “Trust is the Tiebreaker,” an e-book published by Smart Business Network, currently available on Amazon.com.
(440) 248-9550
[email protected]
