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speak consistent with that context. And we all need training on how to hear and respond to questions
and complaints, especially when they are not presented in the best way.
If a corporation wants to change the culture, it needs to pay attention to the people it is grooming to be
supervisors, managers, and directors. As columnist Dave Berry says, “If your date is rude to the waiter,
you are dating a rude person.” That makes a lot of sense as we promote people. We do need to do the
training, but most behavior starts with perception.
From your experience, what are the principal barriers to improved communication inside
a large corporation?
I would say that there are three principal barriers. First, people are raised to be careful and not speak
up. Second, most supervisors and managers do not have the skill set to thoughtfully deal with questions
and complaints. Third, our lack of follow-up and follow-through makes things worse when we invite
feedback and then don't deliver.
How can a corporation remove these barriers?
Constantly invite people to raise issues and concerns. However, don't ask if you don't intend to follow
through. Have a great response to missteps by employees. It is management's reaction to problems that
determines whether employees feel safe. Last, get to know people. It's very difficult to speak up when I
don't know you.
Can you give examples of how email can be harmful to communication within an
organization?
Email has a couple of potential pitfalls. The most common is a lack of context for the message. Context
is usually communicated by either tone of voice or setup. Obviously tone of voice is missing on email,
and people usually are very brief, which means they don't do adequate setup. On the receiving end of
the message sits a human being who by default tends to take things personally. That creates a defensive
response.
What is the most challenging part of your job?
The first challenge is to reteach people how to learn. We were all wonderful learners when we were
two and three years old. We observed. We mimicked. We paid attention to the people around us. We
practiced until we could do things. We had little or no concern with looking foolish or not knowing
how to do something. Then later we came to value knowing and information as having more relevance
than tacit knowledge. Amazingly, it's the really good people who still want to learn, who still want
feedback. Most of us are highly selective about who can give us feedback about what. We are not wide
open to feedback. We are not even looking for it, for the most part.
The second challenge is to get people to acknowledge the impact of conversation in their lives—
even to the point of arguing that they don't really have much else to work with. After their technical
competence, it is the quality of their conversations that determines how things turn out. Conversation
is the basis for their relationships. Conversation is the basis for having influence in an organization.
Conversation determines the culture. Conversation determines how they are viewed.
The third challenge is in working to change the perceptions or views of individuals who have somehow
gotten to a place in life where they are not responsible for what happens. As soon as you and I say to
ourselves or others that “it's not our fault” or “it's not our job,” we essentially are at the mercy of
the circumstances. Certainly the things that happen in our lives often control the outcomes, but truly
effective people don't give in completely to the circumstances. They maintain the view that they can
make a difference in how things turn out. Interestingly, these people rarely give excuses.
 
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