Are you still hurting over the sharp tongued executive's last meeting guffaw? Are your inter-office communications lacking inspiration? Is there a lag time between the spoken word and the action required? Sometimes we just need to step back and take a good look at the communication errors that effect business relationships.
Chain of Command Sometimes the issue is as simple as determining the specific chain of command.
Who's in charge? It may not be who you think.
Often as a business entity, officers of the organization begin to feel bigger than life, take on more than they can chew, and usurp authority they don't genuinely have.
Once the chain of command is in place, everyone can rest easy by simply following position.
As one local guppy put it, "If the food chain is in order, you know who's going to be biting your butt.
" Clear and Specific Guidelines It's important to know how to effectively accomplish the tasks at hand.
If one person is out of control, making the job difficult for others by not following expected procedures, the game goes awry and nobody wins.
A procedural manual helps, but seriously...
who has time to read all the specific directions when you're busy with day to day activities that keep the business moving? Some guidelines are in-your-face simple that even Stupid can understand.
You learned the basics in Kindergarten, "Say please and thank you, ask before you touch, and put things away when you get done.
" When in Doubt, ASK Asking the wrong person can get you into trouble too.
The reality is, if you know the chain of command, and you follow clear and specific guidelines (YES! Those ones you learned in Kindergarten.
) then you'll be on pretty danged solid ground! But, if all else fails, ask the person in charge.
No, not the peon guppy who thinks he knows it all, or wants to be your friend and help you out, or even your best bud who responds well to your sex appeal (have you reviewed that out recently?), but rather the person responsible for your concern.
In good faith, you should be considering, "Does the person I'm asking about this have a Supervisor who might have a different opinion?" If so, ask the supervisor! Your vocabulary doesn't have to stop traffic to be understood.
Office Communications can be fun and invigorating or a total disaster.
Consider your communication options.
Chain of Command Sometimes the issue is as simple as determining the specific chain of command.
Who's in charge? It may not be who you think.
Often as a business entity, officers of the organization begin to feel bigger than life, take on more than they can chew, and usurp authority they don't genuinely have.
Once the chain of command is in place, everyone can rest easy by simply following position.
As one local guppy put it, "If the food chain is in order, you know who's going to be biting your butt.
" Clear and Specific Guidelines It's important to know how to effectively accomplish the tasks at hand.
If one person is out of control, making the job difficult for others by not following expected procedures, the game goes awry and nobody wins.
A procedural manual helps, but seriously...
who has time to read all the specific directions when you're busy with day to day activities that keep the business moving? Some guidelines are in-your-face simple that even Stupid can understand.
You learned the basics in Kindergarten, "Say please and thank you, ask before you touch, and put things away when you get done.
" When in Doubt, ASK Asking the wrong person can get you into trouble too.
The reality is, if you know the chain of command, and you follow clear and specific guidelines (YES! Those ones you learned in Kindergarten.
) then you'll be on pretty danged solid ground! But, if all else fails, ask the person in charge.
No, not the peon guppy who thinks he knows it all, or wants to be your friend and help you out, or even your best bud who responds well to your sex appeal (have you reviewed that out recently?), but rather the person responsible for your concern.
In good faith, you should be considering, "Does the person I'm asking about this have a Supervisor who might have a different opinion?" If so, ask the supervisor! Your vocabulary doesn't have to stop traffic to be understood.
Office Communications can be fun and invigorating or a total disaster.
Consider your communication options.