Can We Talk? It's the Biggest Problem Facing All Businesses

Can we talk?

Comedic legend Joan Rivers is known for her brash one-liners, but perhaps she's known most for her famed catch-phrase: "can we talk?"

When I was a kid, I had a handful of jobs in call centres where all we did was talk. Well, sort of -- they crammed us into a giant room, with paper thin cubicles barely wide enough for you to sit in without bumping elbows with those on either side. In between calls, supervisors would run up and down the narrow rows, yelling: "no talking to your neighbors! Just keep dialing."

It was like being in a school classroom, and having the teacher slap your wrist for passing notes to the cute girl in the corner.

Over the years, I've learned that the most successful teams, departments and ultimately companies, are the ones where everyone talks freely to everyone else.

Lack of communications is the single biggest problem affecting every company I have ever worked with and for.

Passing a note to the cute girl in class.

Makes sense, because although we think "company" equals "big faceless entity" in reality all a company really is, is a collection of people.

And the only way to get that collection of people to work together for the good of the company, is to have those people talk.

Talk isn't a distraction as the supervisors in that call centre wrongly believe. Talk brings ideas together, allows people to discuss problems, and work out solutions.

Though talking also creates politics, in-fighting, envy, suspicion, angst, and other negative things to the office.

Which is why many don't talk in the first place -- they FEAR the possible ramifications of their openness.

Communications in business is the biggest challenge
for all companies.

Seems like a paradox, on one hand people don't talk enough to each other in the world of work. On the other, talking openly can bring about more problems, simply by the very act of sharing what goes on in our heads.

It's not a true paradox, in that we can't ever solve this.

It's a two-fold solution, both from the top -- down.

Leadership within the company must first set out to create a corporate culture of inclusion, openness, honesty, and trust. From the president on down, every leader within the company must buy-into the concepts of good, honest and open communications.

And the second part, also stems from the leaders of the company -- hiring practices. Don't just hire people that can do the job, hire people that fit into an open, honest and trusting environment. 

In order for any corporate culture to work, you have to be careful to only bring into that environment people that fit into that corporate culture.

Often it comes down to hiring the right people
for the corporate culture.

All too often I've seen people brought into a company that just don't fit in. And in some cases, I've felt I was that person that didn't fit in too.

It's one thing to be able to do the job, but if everyone at the company is dancing to the tune of a different drummer, it's not a good fit.

It's up to a company's leadership team to develop the corporate culture which fits their leadership style, while creating an environment where communications is not only encouraged, it's mandatory.

And through the creation of that corporate culture of mandatory communications, you determine at the outset the key characteristics your staff must have, to ensure the continuation of that communications-friendly corporate culture.

And of course, as with all good companies, those in charge lead by example, demonstrating how talking to each other really is the best way to do business.