Common Understanding

“Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto, Daffy, Bugs, London” came

the reply when the IT help desk asked the caller to enter the

user password. “Why did you try that as password?” the help

desk employee asked. “Well, the instructions said it needed

to have six characters and include a capital.” While perhaps

humorous as a story, in real life that little scenario could be

exasperating for a supervisor or co-worker of a well meaning

employee who doesn’t quite get it. Communication can be

that way; perfectly clear in the individual minds of both

people but not reaching common understanding.

Communication is the heart of business success and

depends on people at both ends of an exchange to have the

required skills and experience as well as an engagement with

the job and interaction. Communication breakdowns,

sometimes referred to as ‘politics’, are a common symptom

of a disengaged workforce and an organization that is not

reaching its potential. The solutions may range from simple

to complex. To reach the best solution begin by evaluating all

workforce processes from attracting and hiring new

employees, to developing, engaging, leading, and evaluating

them. Then over time take steps to control, reverse, and

prevent the damage.