Throughout my career, I have always asked my team members to over-communicate. \u00a0My intentions have been to ensure that the whole team would always be on the same page. \u00a0It is always better to have more information than not enough to address problems or opportunities within our company. \u00a0Over the years, this has worked well. \u00a0But lately, it seems like over-communicating is done by adding more names to emails, creating larger text groups, and basically becoming conversations that are one-way in nature.<\/p>\n
These types of communication efforts will become a burden by filling \u201cIn\u201d boxes and alerting us to non-critical texts. \u00a0Subsequently, recipients will tend to delete the emails and texts before reading them and not listen to voice mails. \u00a0One-way communication has merit but sometimes it becomes overwhelming and counterproductive.<\/p>\n
The best form of communication is having an in-person dialogue. \u00a0Webster defines dialogue as \u201ca conversation between two or more persons, an exchange of ideas and opinions, a discussion between representatives of parties that is aimed at some type of resolution\u201d. \u00a0Whatever happened to having dialogue in our society, workplace, and even our families? \u00a0Look around the next time you are in a restaurant and watch couples who once would look each other in the eye and talk to each other about the day\u2019s events, life challenges, and their plans for the future.\u00a0 Now, they have their heads down looking at their cell phone as \u201cRosary Beads\u201d.<\/p>\n
What happened to our dialogue between spouses, families, friends, co-workers, and yes, even between those that we totally disagree with? \u00a0We now spend too much time talking \u201cto\u201d someone rather than talking \u201cwith\u201d them via a dialogue, a two-way conversation.<\/p>\n
Recently my 17-year-old daughter sat down, and we had a dialogue. \u00a0I proposed to use an age-old process that has been used to help organizations evaluate themselves and lay out strategic plans for their company\u2019s future. \u00a0When I told her I wanted to do a SWOT analysis with her, she looked at me like I had three heads. \u00a0If by chance you have not taken part in a SWOT analysis, it basically covers four key areas that a person or organization has.<\/p>\n
S = Strengths<\/p>\n
W = Weaknesses<\/p>\n
O = Opportunities<\/p>\n
T = Threats<\/p>\n
It was amazing how the time flew by as we sat on our back porch and talked about her future. \u00a0As a loving father, it was great to compliment her on her attributes and help her recognize all the opportunities that are before her. \u00a0We also had a frank conversation about her weaknesses and how worldly threats will be coming at her in so many ways. \u00a0It was a great time for her to start getting serious about her future with the knowledge that she has her dad\u2019s blessing and support.<\/p>\n
Conducting a SWOT analysis is an age-old process that can be applied to any organization or individual. \u00a0I enjoy applying this process as a part of the search process for our clients and candidates. \u00a0As we discuss the four key areas, it has been amazing how enlightening it has been.\u00a0 In some cases, what was thought was needed in the way of a new team member turned out to be completely different based on a frank assessment of the company and its overall needs.\u00a0 In the same way, candidates who may have never thought they would be a fit for a certain career path have discovered a whole new world of opportunities.<\/p>\n
In either case, having conversations or dialogue is the key to the success of any relationship, whether it is between a dad and his daughter, team members, suppliers and customers, or a professional recruiting partner and their clients and candidates.\u00a0 Relationships are the only thing we will take from this world, so let us be intentional about developing them by using the age-old technique of actually talking with each other.\u00a0 I challenge all of us to occasionally, instead of emailing or texting our loved ones, friends, customers, suppliers, or colleagues, pick up the phone and call them or even better yet have a face-to-face get-together with them (without your cell phone!).\u00a0 Invest in each other the most precious of all commodities, time.<\/p>\n
Give us a call at AGRI-SEARCH; we would love to have the opportunity to serve you by spending some time developing a relationship.\u00a0 Call us at our main office number at 217-543-2505 or on my direct phone at 217-543-5202.\u00a0 If I don\u2019t answer, I may be having a dialogue with my teenage daughter or wife. \u00a0I will call you back.\u00a0 All the best to you and yours.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Throughout my career, I have always asked my team members to over-communicate. \u00a0My intentions have been to ensure that the whole team would always be on the same page. \u00a0It is always better to have more information than not enough to address problems or opportunities within our company. \u00a0Over the years, this has worked well. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1764,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n