Monday Mini Series – Staff Value #6

Hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.  Sorry I’m a little late on the staff value series.

Cross Point Staff Value #6

Use Your Blinker (Collaborative Communication) – we are committed to the power of honest, intentional communication

This is another one of my favorites.  Let me give you more of the story behind this value…

I’m a bit of an impatient driver.  (That’s a nice way to say that I like to push the speed limit.)  If we’re in a hurry, my friends will quickly nominate me to be the designated driver because they know I’ll get us there in record time.  If there’s a shorter way, I’ll find it!  But my impatience isn’t just directed towards speed limits and the rules of the road, I’m incredibly impatient with poor drivers… especially drivers who don’t use their turn signals.

I have a theory that you can learn a lot about a person’s communication skills by the way that they drive.  Those that use their turn signals show a regard for their fellow drivers.  They are doing their best to communicate their intentions and help inform others around them.  Their intentionality in using their turn signal gives everyone on the road the opportunity to have a pleasant driving experience.  A well-timed signal allows adequate time for other drivers to react and ultimately decreases accidents and/or frustrated hand gestures from other motorists.  On the other hand, the individual who never uses her turn signal suggests complete disregard for those around her.  She is focused on her goals and needs and is oblivious to how it impacts others (until she gets rear-ended of course).  And then there’s the “cry wolf” signal user who leaves their signal on for miles and miles completely unaware of the fact that she’s told everyone she intends to turn at the last 10 intersections, but never does so!

When our staff was going through some communication challenges associated with fast-growth and our multi-site strategy, I shared my turn signal theory with them and we adopted the value “use your blinker” to help remind one another to consider who we need to communicate to.  This simple little phrase became a light-hearted way for us to remind each other of the importance of communicating necessary information.  We use the value to help us operate from the perspective of these three questions:

What am I doing that needs to be shared?

Who needs to know?

How do I need to make sure they receive the information?

As an organization grows, communication gets more complex.  This staff value has been a great way for us to keep the importance of communication top of mind.

What communication challenges do you deal with among your team?  What systems have you developed to improve communication?

Staff Value #5

Staff Value #4

Staff Value #3

Staff Value #2

Staff Value #1

Staff Value Overview

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