Business Communication

In our world today, people continuously need to communicate at increasing speeds (and from increasing distances) in order to build trust inside and outside their companies.

For us internally, this means focuisng on systems of communication that connect the entire organization, from the CEO to the entry level workers. Externally this means communication in almost the same way. People on the outside are constantly scrutinizing and analyzing every action that the company takes internally. There is constant pressure and nothing is "under the radar" anymore so as leaders we need to invent new ways to communicate and shape the rules of the game. In his excellent new leadership book, "Leading at Light Speed", author Eric Douglas shows you step-by-step how to implement 10 Quantum Leaps that build trust, spark innovation, and create a high-performing organization and Quantum Leap #8 is all about this extremely important concept of Business Communication.

At a daylong meeting with a group of neuroscientists at the University of California, I posed this question: "Aside from getting more money, what would most quickly help you achieve a major breakthrough in your field?"

One scientist talked about specialization. "We are so specialized in our individual research," she said. "That's how we win our grants and build our reputations. Yet as we become increasingly specialized, it's like the universe itself. Our stars are flying farther apart from each other. It's almost like we can't see each other."

"That's true," said another scientist. "The largest breakthroughs are between specialties. If we're to succeed, we need to understand what each of us is learning. Bridging the gaps between us is our biggest challenge."

Another scientist jumped in. "In my last project, we put together an inter-disciplinary team. We met twice each week. It was slow going at first. But it created a fascinating new field of understanding about neuro-developmental disorders."

"You're right," another person said. "The breakthroughs occurred when we built a shared understanding of what happens at three levels - behavior, development, and biology. We need to bridge those gaps."

"But that's a huge leap," one of the clinicians said. "Each of those is a different world with a different history and scientific protocols and language. How can we possibly do that?"

This conversation about transcending differences and finding common ground through communication was not new to me. But it was new for this group. I then talked about how people make a similar leap when they become leaders. "The breakthrough comes," I said, "when they rethink how they communicate. To succeed, they build systems of communication that bridge the gaps."

"So who is responsible for that here?" someone asked.

"Good question," I said. "What do you think?"

There was a pause. "I guess we all are."

And with that foundation people started to toss out ideas of what could help their communication. They became energized and within an hour, they had identified five new strategies to build communication across their various disciplines - and agreed to try all of them. They also decided to meet each quarter to assess how well they were communicating. They were making the leap from a handful of people with serious lack of communication to a well-rounded, well-informed business team.

Take this free work survey to see if your organization practices the 10 Quantum Leaps of high-performing organizations.