Stop Stinky Communication Today to Leap from Ordinary to Extraordinary Results

5 HR Essentials Blog Series: The Final Post.

Last week you got a crash course on how to tame the Training Terror and vanquish Untrained Employee Zombies.Need a refresher? Click here to quickly pop over to last week’s post for those tips to protect your business against the Untrained Zombie contagion.Remember! Focus on creating learning opportunities and stress less about training. This will help you ease the squeeze on your time and finances in the start-up phase or in a small business.Zip right back , as you don’t want to miss the final HR Horror of your HR Essentials Series.

HR Horror #5. Stinky Communication

It’s the sort of the stinky employee communication that can cause your peppy engaged employees to tune out, unplug and withdraw their commitment to your business mission.It's the kind of cringe-worthy employee communication that can stop you from leaping from ordinary to extraordinary results.Do you remember this scene from the movie Jerry Maguire?[embed]https://youtu.be/or3cwbuq9y4[/embed]I still cringe when I watch this scene. Jerry Maguire’s passionate call to action speech is a stink bomb!Apart from Flipper the goldfish (who doesn’t count because he had no choice), only Dorothy Boyd (Renée Zellweger’s character) chooses to follow.Suddenly Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise’s character) is a start-up business owner and leader responsible for his own livelihood and career and that of 1 trusting (crazy?) employee.What a way to leave the corporate world and start your (ad)venture as an entrepreneur and a leader!The path from ‘Meh’ to ‘Magnetic’ Communication can be perilous for the naïve.

HR Horror #5: Beware the Putrid Pong – Fish Rots from the Head

As the head of a business and leader of your employee community, the spotlight is on you.Your tribe looks to you for inspiration, direction and perhaps even a little sprinkling of magic to help them transform their lives for the better.Are you a Transformer?

Your tribe has invested their trust and faith in you and your ‘big idea’. They believe in the vision and mission.Are you a Follow-Worthy Leader?

If you answered YES and YES, then read on for 4 Ways to Dodge Stinky Communication Pitfalls and Lead Your Business from Ordinary to Extraordinary.

Once you become aware and recognise how communication faux pas can choke your business growth, you can take action to correct and avoid them.

1. Know your Leadership Communication Style. Different situations call for different leadership communication styles. But we each have a default or natural style.

Do you know your default Leadership Communication style? Have a look at this brilliant cartoon by Tom Fishburne, The Marketoonist. Do you recognise your style?

Your Challenge: Share this cartoon with your team. Ask them to pick and tell you which style most fits you. For this exercise to be of value, they will need to provide specific examples of situations where you displayed the selected style.Critical Action: You must first explain the purpose of this exercise. Sincerely invite their participation in helping you to become a better leader. Be open to their feedback.Caution: Now this will only work well if you have a culture of open communication, honesty and constructive critiques/feedback in your business.If this is a culture to which you are aspiring; you may need give your employees the choice to submit their feedback, anonymously, in the ‘suggestion box’.2. Your Word Must Be Your Bond. Your word must count for a lot - big time! In the early stages of a business, you often have little more than an idea, a plan and projections to show. Brilliant as those things may be, it is your character and your principles which hold top value.When your business is at the idea or start-up phase, how can you attract talented individuals to join you, perhaps leaving the ‘security’ of an established job?It is the belief in your character, values and your ability to turn an idea into a reality that has the power to entice someone to take that leap – not as a risk but as a chance to join something worthy and better.Your ability to do this and make it last is a measure of your integrity, honesty, honour and dependability. These are the qualities of a follow-worthy leader.3. Be Willing to Eat Humble Pie (Large Slices): Starting a business is tough and you will make mistakes. This is your opportunity to lead strong. It is not the mistakes you make but how you react to them that will mean the difference between leading an ordinary or extraordinary business.You lead a tribe by being part of that tribe. By openly and honestly admitting and holding yourself accountable for your mistakes, you create a vehicle that allows everyone to learn and rise from them. Your action will set the standard for your business culture and will be the behaviour model for your employees to follow.4. Be True to Your Business’ Culture. Congratulations! You have successfully navigated the choppy waters of the early stages and your business is really starting to fly.The culture is a vibrant, straightforward, laid-back yet professional. It is time to put some formal structures in place. Your start-up team has expanded, allowing individuals to take on specialist and varied roles. There is a need for more formalised terms and conditions of employment.It is here that many new businesses blow it. Let me give you an example.A stretched owner dusts off their old corporate employment contract or asks another business owner to share what they use or downloads an employment contact template from the internet – both written in ‘legalese’ language.After quickly slapping their business logo on the cover page and popping in their employees’ personal details and employment terms, they issue the contracts to their team. This is a recipe for disaster. STOP and THINK for a moment.

• Is ‘legalese’ the language of your employee community or business culture?
• How do you think your employees will react to this style of contract?

Your contracts of employment do not need to be written in legalese to be considered legally sound. Of course, get expert guidance to ensure that employment contracts comply with the relevant employment laws / labour regulations for your industry and/or country.For the sake of your business, it is critical that the document is easily understood by both parties. The language used should reflect the culture and values of the business and support the tone of the relationship between employer and employee – human to human.

It's Your Turn

Communication has to power to motivate and move people. You now have 4 Ways to Dodge Stinky Communication Pitfalls and Lead Your Business from Ordinary to Extraordinary.

What other tips for fresh and compelling communication do you have?Don’t hide your light. Share them in the comments.

Do share this post with someone who you know might be in danger letting the pong of stinky communication overwhelm them and their business.

We have now come to the end of your Savvy Independent Entrepreneur 5 part series of HR Essentials. I’m honoured that you have joined me on the tour of typical HR Horrors.

• Which post resonated you - making you laugh out loud or shake your head?
• What are your top pick useful tips from the series?

Over to you! Apply these Smart Strategies Used by Savvy Independent Entrepreneurs to Build YOUR OWN Wildly Successful Business. Don’t wait. Get started today!Know there is a virtual tribe of readers, including me, rooting for you – willing you success in fulfilling your personal aspirations and business purpose.Let me know how you get on.Until we meet again next week down the HR Rabbit Hole…