Managers who attend my training classes or seminars for the first time often ask me for advice in effective communication with their employees. Most often they are concerned with what they believe is a lack of effectiveness in inspiring desired action from their employees. Many managers admit to me to their discomfort with employee communication, especially in times of conflict. I am afraid my answer is sometimes disappointing because there is no single communication solution for these situations.

         To explore this in further detail, let us consider that the role of a manager is vast and oftentimes demonstrates few recognizable boundaries. What I mean by this is that managers, especially those in middle to upper management positions, are expected to quickly handle any challenge that comes their way while continually producing exceptional results, regardless of the available resources. Much of a manager’s job is not covered in the general responsibilities found in many job descriptions. Effective communication skills often take a back seat to the work at hand. This is unfortunate since effective communication skills are a key competency in the role of a manager. The pressure on managers to produce results often translates into an overemphasis on progress reports or the traditional monthly or weekly reports by which management performance is measured. It is no surprise to me that managers, given time away from their everyday responsibilities to attend one of my training classes or seminars, take the opportunity to ask for help in coping with their most daunting challenge; communicating effectively with employees in order to meet and exceed business goals.

         Before you continue reading this article, I ask that you contemplate what keeps your employees from achieving the results expected of them. While the possibilities could be considered endless, what comes to mind first? Do not dismiss your gut reactions to this question. Instead, write down your answers to reflect upon over the next couple of weeks. Add to your list as the weeks pass in order to reflect upon your perspective as you increase your awareness of potential roadblocks to effective communication and achieving desired results.

         Recently I have been seeking new inspiration for effective communication. There are thousands of resources for improving communication, but I wanted to be inspired by something groundbreaking and innovative and I found it in a remarkable book written by William R. Noonan entitled, Discussing the Undiscussable: A Guide to Overcoming Defensive Routines in the Workplace. This book explores in depth the impact of defensive behaviors in the workplace through real-world examples and years of research. Who would have thought that an entire book would be written on this subject? After all, are not the defensive people in our lives simply “difficult” people? Do we really need to read an entire book about them? Do they not take up enough of our time? This may come as a surprise (but hopefully not); we are all capable of defensive routines whether they are internally or externally communicated. They are at the foundation of many barriers to effective communication and are detrimental to achieving our goals both personal and professional.

         What do defensive routines have to do with managers improving their communication skills? In order to break down barriers in communication at work, managers must become interested in the root cause of communication problems. According to Noonan, when individuals feel threatened or embarrassed at work, the result can be defensive behaviors that can grow from minor annoyances into a toxic workplace environment. Those in leadership positions are not immune. Leaders can create toxic work environments too. When people feel threatened or embarrassed at work, behavioral routines begin to take form and become walls that both seclude the individuals within them and exclude others from entering. When this happens, it becomes more and more difficult to identify the problems that lead to ineffectiveness and communication stops and/or becomes toxic.

         As you contemplate this notion, consider that there is more to effective communication than delivering the appropriately framed and articulated message. The receiving party must be open and receptive to the information being shared. A person who is defensive will likely miss or misread the purpose of your message. As a manager, if you are defensive, you will likely provoke defensiveness in your employees and miss important information about what is influencing the outcomes of the work being done (or not being done) in your organization. Defensive behaviors can easily become defensive routines which perpetuate barriers to effective communication.

         So why does all of this matter? It matters because your role as a manager is to deliver results yes, but to do so effectively you must set the example for your employees and work hard to remove the obstacles that keep success from happening. Many solutions to workplace problems can provide real-time, tangible results like fixing a broken photo copier, calling on another employee to cover a sick employee’s shift, or rush-ordering a needed material. While there is give and take in many of the solutions managers find for workplace problems, effective communication requires not only give and take, but a true investment of time and attention.
           
         As managers I encourage you to ask yourselves what you know to be true about defensive behaviors in your workplace. Do you see defensive routines developing? If so, you know how unproductive they can be. Now ask yourself this question: What threatens my success and causes me embarrassment at work? Once you can explore your own reactions and motivations, you will gain deeper insight into what is driving the behavior of your employees.

Christine E. Cruver
President of Simetra Strategies