The Best Business Advice I Ever Got...
Thanks Prof Barsade (In action, above) for the advice and more - and thanks my 19Labs co-conspirators Jerry Horel, Craig Noonan for contributing to this article and helping me communicate better.

The Best Business Advice I Ever Got...

The best business advice I ever got was actually in business school. It’s hard to believe at first: how do you get business advice from a professor who never ran a business in their life? Well, that happened, and the credit goes to Professor Sigal Barsade (SB, Above) who taught us organizational behavior at Yale.

 When we finished her class, going through motivation theory, organization structures, fairness theory, and much more, her last advice for us was three words: “Communicate, Communicate, Communicate.”

No alt text provided for this image

The more years I spend in the industry, the more I realize SB was right. 99% of the issues organizations run into involve communication issues. Even fierce disagreements, more than anything, have to do with communication issues. So, I thought it’s worthwhile diving a bit deeper into her advice, sharing it with others, and exploring my interpretation of what “Communicate, Communicate, Communicate” is all about.

If you work with smart counterparts and everyone believes in the company’s mission, why would there be disagreements? The first reason: people tend to have a different set of facts in their minds. This means that getting both sides to work on the same set of facts is the first step in communication.

But that’s not enough. Often, the goal is perceived differently, the willingness to take risks is different, or individual egos play a role. Effective communication can bridge or narrow those gaps significantly.

 So, I’d like to look at a couple of different dimensions in communication. I’m sure others will have more to add — and please share your thoughts and suggestions — but below are a few personal reflections:

 Communicate #1: Getting The Information Across

No alt text provided for this image

How do you get your point across effectively to busy people who might not have the time, bandwidth, or don’t understand why the information you want to get to them is even relevant? Example: I often run into team members who, when asked to do a job and summarize it, send the executive team an email saying “I did my assignment, it’s attached. Thank you!”. They’re proud that they did the assignment, crossed the item off the list, and sent it to us… “Wow, I’m done!” Except they’re not. The message is often unopened, unread, and the key takeaways/action items have not been shared. The point is not about just passing the information to somebody. Communicating effectively is getting the other person to actually absorb the information — not just sending it across. This most common method — email — is tricky. How do you get the point across and get the right attention from the right people?

Subject lines. Short sentences. Using bold or not. Attaching the information as well as pasting it in the email. Highlighting who has action items, or what you need from whom in the email. These are all critical elements of communicating effectively within an organization. Good communication is not necessarily about increasing volume, it’s about getting your point across (preferably, in as few emails as possible). 

No alt text provided for this image

Should I write a verbal summary or put it in a structured table? Tables (thanks to my Apple training, by the way) are one of my favorite tools when choosing between different options. Summarizing the different options in a table with the different features/pros and cons is a great way to help organize your thoughts and be data-driven. Not all the cells need to be filled — but when you arrange information in a certain way, it is much easier to get to a decision or identify what is still missing.

Pick the right medium: Many people have a tendency to default to text, WhatsApp, or email when communicating. Or just replying in whatever medium they were contacted in. But if a conversation is emotionally charged, DON’T. Call the person. I have often found myself saying things in a completely different way when talking to somebody face-to-face vs. what I thought I would say, or what I previously wrote in talking points.

Steve Jobs in one of his many walking meetings

Maybe invite them to go out on a walk (which, by the way, was Steve Jobs’ favorite way of having a meaningful discussion). When you go on a walk with somebody, the physical act of walking affects your mindset: you’re less stuck in a specific way of thinking and you’re more open to thinking through other scenarios, not to mention that you’re more focused on what you’re discussing. Changing physical surroundings helps keep you open-minded vs. sitting in a meeting room.

Communicate #2: Listen, Learn, and Resolve Conflicts

Communication is a two-way street. You have smart people working in the organization; listen and learn from them. They might have valuable data from the front lines or even recommendations on how to get around obstacles. It is paramount that communication is kept two-way: no healthy organization is a one-way street (one of the indications of a dysfunctional organization is one-way communication where listening doesn’t happen). Listen, learn about problems, understand the team’s underlying feelings, and you will likely hear new ideas on how to solve the issue at hand.  

No alt text provided for this image

More often than not communication has to do with individual feelings. So put your phone away — out of sight — hear, listen to the tone of voice, and observe body language. Try to absorb and understand how a person feels, and not just what they say.

When you listen, you also have to create an environment where criticisms are welcome and people are comfortable bringing bad news. I often start a team meeting with “What’s today’s bad news?” to make people feel comfortable sharing their concerns. When brainstorming, create an environment where new concepts or out-of-box ideas are not killed on the spot but are taken into consideration. And if you are the decision-maker, try to explain why one option is chosen over the others or why you aren’t taking the OOB ideas — this way your team will feel appreciated and learn for the future.

 Conflicts usually arise from different risk tolerances, emotions, and egos. By listening and asking questions, you’ll understand peoples’ varying positions on these things, and you’ll be able to resolve them.

Different risk tolerances (“how risky things are”) are a common cause of conflict. Peoples’ willingness to take risks and fear of failure varies widely. Organizations’ willingness to take risks varies widely. You combine those things and often get into a position where one person thinks it’s fine to take a risk (and it’s okay to fail), while another assumes there’s absolutely no chance of success (“This is too risky, and we need to be more conservative”). It’s the job of the people communicating to listen to each other and figure out the risk tolerance, and willingness to risk, involved in a decision.

Emotion and ego can also cause conflict. Sometimes, conflicts stem out of squabbles on who gets credit for work. Communicating effectively involves putting aside one’s ego: giving recognition to others goes a long way in getting people to work together and cooperate. As Ronald Reagan said, “there is no limit to the amount of good you can do, if you don’t care who gets the credit”. Listening is important as well. People feel valued when you truly listen to what they have to say, and this helps in disarming negative emotions between two conflicting parties.

 Another common reason for conflict has to do with different perceptions of timing (“when things need to happen”). Disagreements often arise when two people think in different timeframes (example: in their minds, one person thinks something needs to be done in a month, while the other thinks it should be done a year from now). So, asking the question of “should we be doing something” often leads to a fierce disagreement. If you change the question to “what should we be doing next month (or next 12 months)” you communicate the timeframe in which a decision needs to happen or action needs to be made. A lot of the conflict between people will go away.

 Communicate #3: Big Picture (“Building a Temple”)

No alt text provided for this image

There’s an old adage that asks the question, “which will result in the best quality: Helping build somebody else’s house? Building your own house? Or building the community temple?”. When you’re building the temple, it’s a life mission for you and your community. People are more productive, more excited, and more dedicated because they are building the most important thing not just for themselves but for their families and community.

This directly applies to work. When people get behind a mission, they’re much more productive and dedicated. So, being able to communicate the significance of the mission and the impact it has on people (“why we’re doing it and what we’re hoping to achieve”) makes all the difference on a project.

Communicating the big picture and “what needs to be done” allows for less micromanaging and encourages innovation. It lets the people below you creatively think through what needs to be achieved, and come up with new ideas. Not only are they more dedicated, you also get clever ideas on how to build a better temple! People are smart: communicate the big picture and you’ll be surprised at what comes back.

The last element of “communicate, communicate, communicate” is repetition. Almost always, overcommunicating is much better than under-communicating. When you overcommunicate, people might decide to ignore the repetition. Or you risk losing some of the team’s sparse time. But when you under-communicate, you create an environment where uncertainty, fear, doubts about the directions or leadership, and rumors just flourish. So it’s much better to err on the side of overcommunicating than under-communicating.

So yes, communicate, communicate, communicate. Get the information across, and communicate while listening for risk, ego, and timing differences between people. And communicate the big picture that you’re trying to achieve.

There’s lots more to add to it! Would love to hear other people’s ideas on what communication means for them. But for me, this was the best business advice I ever got.

What was the best business advice you ever got?  

 

Kim White

Partnerships l Business Development l Partner Marketing

2y

This is a great piece for us all to read and absorb in these turbulent times. Thank you Ram Fish

Like
Reply
Ilana Gordon

Associate Rabbi at Congregation Beth Jacob

2y

Really insightful! Yes, communication is key. And I especially appreciated some of the specific obstacles you explored: differing levels of risk aversion, different sense of timing, shooting off an email versus actually talking. I've encountered all of these issues, and it is helpful to see them laid out so clearly.

Like
Reply
Gregg Vanourek

Personal development and leadership. Helping you craft your life & work. Co-author, LIFE Entrepreneurs & Triple Crown Leadership. TEDx speaker. New book in the works.

2y

Great stuff, Ram, and I think it points to a huge problem (undercommunication). And yes, many people are poor listeners. Some business advice that has resonated with me: it's all about relationships (with fellow workers, mentors, customers, etc.). Thanks, Ram.

Like
Reply
Rebecca Goldsmith

Executive Communications at PagerDuty

2y

Great points! I agree listening is the most underrated part of communication.👂

Like
Reply
Michal Milgalter

Global Head of Marketing

2y

Thanks for sharing, I know how much it means to you!!

Like
Reply

To view or add a comment, sign in

Insights from the community

Explore topics