Does your organisation have personality clashes, turf wars erupting, competing agendas? If so, then it is like most other organisations! You may find it frustrating and disruptive and just want to get on with your job, but instead of keeping your head down and hoping it will all go away try to work productively with your colleagues—even the more challenging/difficult ones—for the good of your organisation and your career.
It can be difficult to get candid opinions from your employees, especially when emotions are high. However, you need to encourage them to speak up if you want to know about minor issues before they become big problems. Some people are uncomfortable airing concerns in public, so initiate more casual one-to-one conversations. Keep an open door, but don’t wait for people to come to you — be seen, be a good listener, go out and talk to them yourself. No one wants to upset the boss, but if you get people in the habit of speaking up by routinely asking if there are any issues you should be aware of, then you can act on them before they cause conflict or affect morale, or productivity. Offer regular financial updates too, so people know what’s working and what’s not. If they feel that they have a stake in the success of the organisation, they’ll be more willing to speak up.
The importance or communication within a team is just one of the areas covered by our 1 day in house Team Working Course, which helps managers develop more effective and productive working relationships both in their teams and across the organisation.