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White Papers from the Gold Coast Institute Fellows |
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A Communicator Looks At Corporate America By
Frank Maguire
As Adam said to Eve: “We live in an age of transition.” Both the original Adam and Adam Smith would concur that this is indeed a period of transition and shakeout for American industry. Those who are ready and have planned may make it. Those who are ready and have not planned won’t make it. If American corporations respond in timely fashion, there is unquestionably a unique window of opportunity as we enter this first decade of the 21st. Century. Many of the pieces are already in place: a highly competent sales force, wiling workers, experienced manage-ment, proud history and loyal customers. We have all been impressed by what has been accomplished to date. But I am also impressed by the magnitude of what remains to be done. If I had to begin with only one impression, it is that it is do-able. Whether or not it will be done depends entirely on an openness and willingness on the part of management to change. As I see it, corporations have a major communications problem. It is a crisis of employee morale. The work force is confused. They do not feel that they are getting the full story of what is happening within their company. They see a constantly changing management team. They perceive senior management as remote and often indifferent. They receive a wide variety of conflicting messages. And, in the absence of solid information, they are open to all kinds of misinformation, rumors, undigested data, and speculation about their company and its future. These perceptions become their reality. It adds up to a significant and pervasive problem. It, more than any other factor, smothers the kind of enthusiasm and winning attitude, which are part of any successful enterprise. It erodes their confidence in their company. These problems are systemic in any company doing business on a national or international scale. They all have to do with communications in one form or another. Cumulatively they can sap the productive energy out of a company. If dealt with and resolved, they can release a surge of positive energy and imagination, which can transform an ordinary work place into a hub of participatory excellence and quality. The rising tide lifts all boats. Effective communication is a multiplying force within a company. Everyone benefits. At the core is the need for a company-wide culture, which incorporates a shared vision, shared knowledge, and shared responsibility. If this positive corporate attitude is sometimes hard to identify and define, there is little problem in sensing its absence in an individual or group. A losing team mentality is devastating. It turns active and creative human energy into cynicism and hostility. It puts an end to pride of achievement and to initiative. It isolates people from one another and develops the “us against them” mentality at all levels of the organization. _________________________
“The most important ingredient in
winning wars is morale.” Dweight D. Eisenhower __________________________ The era of the quick fix and off-the-shelf remedy is mercifully over. A solid manager-based system of employee communications can drive vision and energy to point-of-contact managers and staff who should have the knowledge and authority needed to make confident and informed decisions in the marketplace. The manager knows the realities of the local work force and the increasingly diverse work force. There will be little productivity, improvisation, initiative or enthusiasm unless there is a manager who embodies these values. Communication is process. The manager is the agent. Effective communication is the central nervous system of the corporation. At
every level, the manager should be looked at as the source of
information and motivation. If
the managers are credible, the company is credible.
The manager is the key factor in the triad of management,
employees and customers. Most
companies presume that they are already working through a manager-based
structure. Realistically,
this assumption often has more to do with the organizational chart than
with the functional activity of the company.
Today’s manager should be perceived by his or her employee as
the personnel department, the communication department, the safety
department, the benefits department, and the training department.
The
manager becomes the key player in their network of speeded-up
information. The manager is
the initial contact for advanced and privileged information.
He or she is the primary source for both information and
motivation for employees. The
manager is the messenger and the message. These
principles were developed in the founding of FedEx and they have served
that company productively for all these years.
It’s not that the system has been tried and found wanting: most
often it hasn’t been tried at all.
Great
work places are defined not so much by wages and working conditions as
by feelings attitudes and relationships. Let’s
look at the manager through the eyes of employees.
Workers don’t show up in the morning with the idea of doing a
mediocre job. They want to
make a difference, to contribute to the enterprise, and to feel good
about themselves. In a time
of disintegrating institutions, they want to belong to a group that does
meaningful work and does it well. The
world asks them, “What’s your name and what do you do?”
Both answers are important to your employees. Once
again, the point-of-contact manager becomes the soul of the corporation.
He or she is the one who personalizes the strategy, who injects
the passions and feeling into the task.
And, although sports metaphors have often been overused, it can
be helpful to look upon today’s managers as the coach.
He or she monitors the execution of the plan in an informed and
improvisatory fashion. And,
in all situations, he or she removes obstacles from the path of talent. There
is an advertising agency in San Francisco which has a simple Latin motto
taped to each of its managers telephones: NE SIM OBEX “May
I Not Be An Obstacle!” Employees
working in this special kind of environment will inevitably approach
their work in a more positive and productive way.
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