For those of you who know me, I assume this will not be a stretch for you to understand or believe, but as a child, I was a TALKER! My elementary report cards would verify that when it came to my “social habits” talking was one that always seemed to “need improvement.” My parents were very patient, reminding me on more than one occasion that, “Silence is Golden”…a concept I had a hard time grasping. As time marched on, I learned the value of listening more and talking less.
Over the past decade however I have noticed the deterioration of a good discussion giving way to countless emails, or the use of some sort of social media format. People seem to be talking less, giving way to email or text blasts eliminating face to face dialogue and silencing open and honest discussion. I’m beginning to feel that silence is NOT golden…that silence is becoming more of a detriment to the overall culture and health of many organizations.
In an article in Harvard Business Review, authors Boris Groysberg and Michael Slind conclude that Leadership Is a Conversation. (CLICK HERE for full article) Their research concluded that by TALKING with employees, rather than simply issuing directives via email, leaders can promote flexibility, engagement, and strategic alignment.
They go on to identify four elements to create “organizational conversation” that reflect the essential attributes of interpersonal conversation:
1. INTIMACY shifts the focus of “top-down” to “bottom-up exchange of ideas and solutions. Organizational conversation is less formal and is intended to incorporate a casual tone. It’s more about asking and answering questions than it is about simply issuing orders or directives.
2. INTERACTIVITY is to embrace the unpredictable vitality that a dialogue can bring versus a traditional “one-way” media such as print or that of a broadcast such as an email or text.
3. INCLUSION turns employees into full-fledged conversation partners, entitling and encouraging them to provide their own ideas and possible solutions.
4. INTENTIONALITY enables leaders and employees to arrive at a strategic and relevant action or solution from the push and pull of a DISCUSSION…
So my friends, perhaps it’s time to rethink old adages…as DISCUSSION is GOLDEN…not silence…
Be good to yourself…
Ron
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more; you are a leader. - John Quincy Adams
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