Excerpt: Communications. What is it really, and why is there somany written and said about it? Well, it’s more than just talking andlistening. Quite frankly, communication is the foundation of leadership, andthere are many ways that we communicate; with speech, with body language, andwith direction. All of this and more makes up the world of humancommunications. You already know how to talk, but communications is more thanjust talking. Your effectiveness as a supervisor depends on your verbal skills.Your attitude towards people, and of course the non-verbal gestures and signalsyou make. What kinds of signals are you sending? Do you set the example? Do yousay one thing and then do another? Do you contradict yourself? Or, are youconsistent? If you’re a person who listens to your employees, and then providesthem with feedback, whether its good or bad news, and you do this consistently,your employees will perceive you as a good listener and communicator. But ifyou’re a person who is in a good mood one day, and a bad mood the next youremployees won’t know how to take you because you’re not very consistent. Theywill either wait until they can determine your mood that day, or they’ll ignoreyou as much as possible. Now that’s not the kind of relationship you reallywant. You have to listen to your employees, and respond to their questions,suggestions, concerns, and gripes. Good listening skills take a lot of effortand work. But the rewards are great. Let’s take a look at the things which canprevent you from really communicating. First of all, not recognizing the needto communicate. You may say my people surely know this by now, or it didn’tseem important to tell them that…
