Communication between employers and employees has been an issue raised by HR publications. However it would also be fair to say that communication between management staff on an equal payroll, or even CEO’s of companies working together, plays a huge role in business.
Most communicators in business come to realise that certain people respond better to certain approaches than others. For example, some people like to know exactly every detail of a process whereas others will just want to know the overall goal of a project. Other people put relationships above results and vice versa.
It would be true to say that some people prefer to be in charge than others. This can mean that these people appear as arrogant, forceful, pushy and even aggressive. However it can also mean that these people come across as direct, efficient, reliable and just a genuine high performer.
Some of the tendencies of leaders can be that they will only be convinced of an alternative way of doing things if that way is proven a success. As a result, approaching such a person would involve being able to prove that your idea is better, rather than just coming up with the idea in the first place. This can of course mean a lot more ‘homework’ before presenting an off the cuff idea.
Discussing emotions would usually be out of the question with this kind of person and presenting an idea would mean concise, to the point conversation. Bullet points might even be a sensible suggestion.
Above all, possibly the best way to get such a person to co-operate would be by showing a process, and a journey through to a tangible result. Flow charts with clear goals that can be accounted for are often best in this situation. Competence and proving that you are competent yourself play a very important role with working with these type of people.
MCHAP
Tags: business leaders, competence, concise conversation, flow chart, management
