Lean Quote: Communicate, Every Day, Every Way

In Lean Quote
April 13, 2018
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On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

“The art of communication is the language of leaders.” — James Humes

Good
communication is at the heart of great teamwork. Great teams communicate well
and often, their members are happy to share ideas, brainstorm together, ask for
feedback, and be contradicted.

This doesn’t
mean team members always agree, but they’re able to communicate through their
differences to settle on a sound solution and continue moving forwards as a
team.

So, how to
enable good communication?

Be clear: Set the tone for
communication among the team. When is it acceptable to close your office
door? Is it okay to contact someone after hours? How often should the
whole team get together? This outline will help to keep everyone on the
same page and communication flowing.
Listen: Communication is as much
about listening as it is about speaking. Make sure you’re listening to
fellow team members and actually considering their thoughts before
offering your own solutions and input.
Method: There are so many ways to
reach each other in the modern age. Try to use the most suitable tool to
communicate for your specific needs, whether that’s email, a chat tool,
phone call, or face to face. We’ve got an article that’ll help you
decide which communication tool is best for what.
Touch base: Encourage informal meetings,
information sharing, and huddles between team members. People shouldn’t
have to wait for a weekly catch-up meeting to get together. Collaborative
team members are comfortable communicating as and when they need to.
Collaboration tools: These enable workers to
connect across the world, or across the office, in a group or one-to-one
conversation. They also make progress on group projects at the times that
are most convenient for them.