Archive for the 'internal communication' Category

Sincerity trumps tired office cliches in internal communication

Friday, April 18th, 2008

Always remember, young Grasshopper: “Working together as a team means winning together as a team.”

Doesn’t fire you up, eh?
Well, aren’t you just the cold hearted bas..OH! wait…my bad!! Sorry.

I left out the headline “Together We Can” WITH the phrase on the poster of Emperor penguin chicks huddled together so they can “retain their collective warmth.” See? It links teamwork with success.
Nothing? Seriously? Still?
Penguins
Hmmm…you must be…oh, I don’t know:

NORMAL?!?

We’ve all seen the lovely posters, desk calendars, clocks, pens, water bottles, paperweights, travel mugs or business card holders provided by zen companies to “motivate us” or remind us of these corporate mantras. We have the employee offsite on Friday at the nearby park to learn the vision statement for the company only to return to the gates of Cube City on Monday to find these testimonials to managerial crutches left in our spaces.

As a communicator (and sometimes) professional, let me provide a Rx for those of you in senior management trying to inspire those in middle management so they can function with those aspiring to be, managers:

1. Respect me: Show me I matter with your actions… not just the two days after the offsite meeting, but all year ’round.

2. Keep your word: Say you are going to do something? Do it. Keep making promises about that new copier or software to come, or the wait-and-see period on my promotion and your credibility is blown, Boss Man.

3. Share your knowledge: Try your best to keep me informed as much as you can about what we are doing, where we are going as a company and what you expect from me, so I can understand what I can do, where I fit in and what tools you can provide me; this isn’t just to help us get “there” but for me to grow as a professional. Find a way to keep the communication flowing.

4. Say these things in your own words, sincerely and factually.

If you do use a cliché’ when it comes to internal communication, don’t print it on a coffee coaster - just remember it:
“Treat me like you’d want to be treated.”

Otherwise?
An employee may leave you a coffee mug inspired by the movie “Office Space:”
“Motivation: It’s not that I’m lazy, it’s that I just don’t care.”

And, could someone wake up that penguin in the back?

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