1. Build a foundation of trust

2. Design and build a bold and open floor plan

3. Make sure there are no roofs.

Step 1: A foundation of trusted communications

Without a foundation of trust we cannot lead people and transform companies. Unfortunately trust is a “one block at a time” process that can evaporate with one act of deception or misunderstanding. Have you ever held a grudge against someone who you believe “wronged” you only one time? How can we build this foundation?

• One to one human and electronic connections – Trust is not a group process, it is created in one to one connections. Building these connections requires:

• Use multiple media – Find out medium the other person prefers for communication. Some people love the flexibility of answering emails on their time. Others want a telephone call for 5 minutes once a week to stay in touch. For others it is a face to face meeting. 

• Get personal - People don’t care how much we know until they know how much we care. Ask about the goals and aspirations of those we lead. A leaders’ role is to serve followers and promote their potential. Ask team members these questions:

1. How are you doing today (especially on days they seem to be down)? 

2. Are you doing what you love? Are we utilizing your strengths?

3. How is your family? (A leader is interested in the “whole person” not just the “work person!”) 

• Appreciate, appreciate, appreciate – Hand written thank you notes are the most powerful tool to build the team. Identify what specifically the person did that was exemplary and how they contributed to the larger project or vision.

• Our foundation has no “Buzz-ers!” – How often do we communicate directly? Do we use long words, buzz words, and political politeness? To build a foundation of trust this has got to stop. How?

• Kill the buzz – Stop using terms like downsizing, restructuring, moving in a different direction, I need to interface with you, paradigm shifts, and we need to get more eyeballs and increase the stickiness of our site! Speak in plain English. Our goal is to be understood, not to impress! 

• Don’t “patch-over” problems- Use assertive communications – Most people communicate passively. If we have a problem with someone we complain to someone else, which further erodes trust. How can we communicate assertively?     

• State the problem using only the facts.

• Describe how these actions make you feel.

• Explain the negative consequences of these actions and describe your reaction.

• Describe what specific actions you want the other person to take in the future and the consequences if they fail to take the actions you have defined. (steps above adopted from “Asserting Yourself – Appropriately by Sam Lombardo). 

• Increase the “foundations” size – Trusted communications result when we understand people and situations better. We need to increase our “foundation” or our perspective to make this happen. As Steven Covey says, “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” Intellectually, this makes sense. Practically, how do we make this happen?

Read, read, and read – Leaders are learners. Their offices have large bookshelves with books they have actually read! 

1. Find one area of specialization and devour books, magazines, and tapes focusing on it. 

2. Build generalist skills – NY Times, The Economist, and Fast Company are sources to build a wider range of perspective. 

Take a ride in a cab! – We can learn all the time if we look for the lessons. On a 30-minute cab ride in Chicago I was able to get an in-depth perspective on Pakistan from the cab driver. Start asking questions and searching for the common ground with others.
Keep eyes and ears open on the job site – Listening is hard work. How do we get better?

• Concentrate – remove distractions when possible. Focus on the person we are talking to instead of our cell phone, pagers etc. 

• Paraphrase – We can process information 4 times faster than the other person can speak. This causes us to “wander” in a conversation. Create an outline in our head and then say back to the speaker, “What I heard you saying is…..”

• Eye contact – One powerful way to communicate interest is with our eyes. When we “lock onto” another person’s eyes this speaks loudly about our interest. 

• Encourage more – When we say, “Yes, I hear what you say” or “I see what you mean” we promote a deeper level of communications from the speaker. 

We’ve begun to develop our “rock-solid” foundation of trust now the question becomes how do we design and build a “floor plan” that really works?

Step 2: Design and build a bold and open floor plan

Better communications are clear, direct, respectful, reflective, and frequent. How do we do this?

• Include many “windows” – An effective leaders’ communications are transparent. Hidden agendas promote distrust in the speaker. How can we become clearer?

1. Get direct to the point – We distrust politicians because they speak in circles. Our communications are filled with extraneous words. 

2. Written communications - Cut 30-40% of the words from a letter. Bold or bullet the key 1 to 2 points. The average business communication is reviewed for only 5 seconds. Make it easy to casually glance at the letter to garner the main points.

3. Verbal communications – 

1. Develop an outline in our head before speaking. 

2. If we tend to be “chatty” on the phone use an hourglass or timer and reduce phone conversations by 20%. When we become disciplined with time, others feel we respect their time better as well. 

3. If we want something directly ask the person who can honor our request. Even if we don’t get what we want, we should get a lesson and may learn how to get it in the future. 

• “Wire” your house for communications– We lack time and we lack people. Organizations continue to get flatter in structure and faster. How can we “get wired” and automate our communications?

1. Email – Properly used this technology allows a quick and cost-effective way to deepen relationships and add value. Use email to garner feedback, schedule meetings, and send out “FYI” messages to keep people updated. Email should not be used as a firewall that we through hand grenades over!

2. Everybody uses the word processor – Leaders at all levels should learn how to use a word processor. Why write out a letter that another person will have to type when it can be done in one step? This promotes a flatter and quicker company.

• Use bold colors on walls – With the proliferation of communications if we are not passionate about what we are saying why would anyone else want to listen? How can we use emotion to improve communications?

1. Focus efforts on potential – Our potential lies at the intersection of what we love to do and what we are good at. The first question that Steve Marks of Main Street Gourmet asks his followers in a review is, “Do you love what you are doing?” If they don’t love their work they discuss changes that can be made to get on track. 

2. Don’t use the same bold color throughout – If we speak with enthusiasm and always use the same words we might be perceived as insincere. If someone asks us how we are doing. We can be great, wonderful, fantastic, if I was doing any better it might be illegal etc. 

3. Add brightness on the phone – We need to overemphasize our voice by 30% on the telephone to compensate for not being physically present.

4. Don’t use red – Speaker Tony Allesandra talks about practicing “pausitiveness.” When we are in a “red” mood (elevated state) try at all costs to think and then act; not react. When we react we pay dearly later. 

• Hold more conversations in the kitchen; not the formal dining room – Deepening relationships does not happen well sitting behind a desk. Sit on the other side of the desk at a 90- degree angle for one to one discussions. Meet and talk to people in the lunchroom, break room, by the dock etc. Go on their turf to break down communication barriers! Put in moveable partitions instead of permanent offices. Eliminate “executive” parking spaces. Open the “floor plan” for more open communications. 

1. Use storytelling – We remember the story or analogy first, the message second. If we want messages to “stick” consider telling a story with a moral. (Consider “Managing by Storying Around” by David Armstrong.) 

• Take off your shoes before entering – Effective communicators show respect for time. This can be achieved by:

1. Stick to the time limit of a meeting – Have an agenda, stick to the pre-specified time limit (or ask permission to extend); and develop a firm action plan at the meetings conclusion.

2. Good time to talk? - Asking this question, especially on the phone, is a good way to show respect. 

• Install mirrors– We need to reflect on communications that have gone wrong. Pat Perry from Employers Resource Council told me, “The mirror is our greatest evaluator.” 

1. Use 360-degree feedback (garner feedback from those at all levels of the organization not just those leading us) and development plans. 

We’ve built our foundation of trust, we have our bold and open floor plan, now we need a roof for our house. Don’t we?

Step 3 : No Roofs

Our growing “house” continually needs to be built up. We cannot keep building up if we believe that we have a “roof” over our head. Communication potential is a limitless journey that is only stopped by obstacles that we perceive. How can we motivate others to keep striving and communicating at a higher level?

• Challenge others to add new floors to their homes – We grow in the uncomfortable zone of new projects and assignments. 

1. Educate (through groups like Toastmasters) and challenge people to do presentations on their area of expertise. This will build more knowledge and confidence. 

2. Express contrary opinions – Some leaders will express contrary opinions even when they agree to generate conversation. Diverse opinions drive better ideas. Learn how to facilitate (consider “The Art of Facilitation” by Dale Hunter et al). 

3. Communicate a larger vision – We all search for purpose and opportunity to contribute. When we communicate a vision that brings together a common purpose we can energize results that appeared impossible. Conversely, if we communicate that we are in a mature business we are one step away from death!

Just like building an actual home, building a “house” of effective communications is not easy. It requires the efforts and cooperation of many people with different experiences and backgrounds. Unlike building a home, the process of effective communications is never completed but is continually being built one block at a time. Are you focused on laying these building blocks?

If you would like to have Mike speak to your group consider the following programs:
Constructing the Framework of Success
Motivation - Begins with Me; Grows with We
Running the Race of Life with Purpose

If you want to get Mike's insights on this topic in one on one sessions click here.

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Mike Foti is Chief Executive Officer of Cleveland Glass Block (a Northcoast 99 recipient for best employers in Northeast Ohio and a Community Pillar Award winner for community service) and President of Leadership Builders. Mike is a national speaker, writer, and consultant who helps individuals and companies get results through people. To ask Mike how he might help you, or to receive his free tips and leadership articles, call 216-531-6085 or visit his web site at www.leadershipbuilders.com.