With instant everything it’s easy to think this is the age of communication. Perhaps, though, some might call this the age of telling. (And that, as most know, isn’t very effective communication.) Everyone is telling others what they’re doing and thinking.
Savvy leaders, in the unending quest to deliver excellence to customers, know that if they’re not careful this “telling mode” can creep into how business is done. “We need to tell the customer why we’re great.” Or, “Tell them what we are doing and then tell them again.” This one-sided communication not only disengages the end-user, but internal customers as well. (In fact, it turns everyone off.)
A team we recently launched in the Pathways to Leadership® Process applied this wisdom in an important way. “We talk a lot about communicating to our customer with one voice,” a manager said. “But communicating often means telling. So we decided to change things. We’re going to listen to the customer with one voice.”
What’s that look like?
– Customer feedback is shared quickly and effectively to all relevant parts of the organization. This way, when the customer calls back or to another part of the organization, they don’t have to tirelessly repeat and waste time.
– Rather than giving excuses, questions are used to gain a deeper understanding (a stark contrast to providing information that sounds a lot like excuses).
– Personal ownership and responsibility is communicated (regardless of roles), rather than making promises that put peers in other departments in a bind.
This week ask your team: When one of us receives feedback from our customer, how do we listen in a way so the customer has the confidence their feedback will be heard by all of us?
We’ve created a space for conversation. Please share your thoughts below.
“The greatest problem in communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished” Jesse Giglio. If we start from the illusion and press toward reality, with great questions, communication becomes robust and meaningful.
Questions, questions, questions. The name of the game. I was thinking yesterday: What would happen if we charted/measured the use of questions per meetings – and then compared to the success of a team or company. Is anyone aware of any such studies? Of course, also super relevant: The QUALITY of the questions. (Backward focused questions do move us ahead…)
Thanks my friend!
Craig
This works very well with external customers. It also works very well with internal customers. We are each a customer to the person ahead of us and a supplier to the person behind us. If we listen to the internal customer and treat their needs as we do external customers we tend to engage everybody from the front of the process to the end of the process.
Interesting that you use the word “engage,” Bill. Wise choice, as “engagement” is what so many organizations are measuring and pursuing. Isn’t it interesting: The more we engage our internal customers the more we engage the external. And that takes us a long way.
Thanks Bill –
Craig
In addition to customers (external and internal), this idea works also within the department. If we don’t share with our peers or employees communications (messages) that affect them, for sure they will be frustrated to learn about it from another source. In addition, the originator of the message will have a bad opinion about us, if he/she(by different means) learns that we are not sharing messages with our own employees.
Effective and timely communication is a key success factor in today’s business world.
Your words are so true it reminds me of a recent embarrassing moment: I assumed a teammate had information but missed – so much for assumptions! Fortunately this teammate had the courage (Big R) to approach me and share the perspective I missed. My apology helped, but I’m well aware that it’s my future actions in this area of communication that will speak the loudest.
Thanks SAS –
Craig
Music to my ears. Listening is a great skill. Whether internal/external customers, family, friends, educators and beyond. We grow and leard when we listen to those whom we serve in a relationship. LEAD AND LISTEN ON!
It’s an interesting thought: Do you think some leaders think “listening” to the customer will “slow things down”? (Because it takes time.) Or, is it more “we know better than you”? Steve Jobs made this approach famous because he didn’t use focus groups – he felt passionate about giving the customer what they didn’t even know what they needed. This is when I remind myself that I’m no Steve Jobs, and it’s always a good idea to listen first!
Thanks Rich –
Craig