Good Management requires the Skill of Communication

Posted by martin.parnell |

On April 1st. a news channel in the UK reported that the Thames Valley Police had launched an “Animal Whispering Unit”. This is their story: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka1eeUlGZDQ 

Apart from appealing to my British sense of humour, it got me thinking.  What if we had “Whisperers” in the business sector i.e. people who had a gift for communicating with personnel and using the information gleaned to improve team moral, efficiency and working relationships? Imagine having someone who could communicate with different groups, address a wide variety of problems, assess how they could be resolved and have their finger on all the many issues in the workplace. 

But, wait minute, I think we have these already, although they’re not called “whisperers’, we know them as “managers” and, surely, they are able to carry out all those tasks a whisperer might do. Well, maybe in an ideal world. But, unlike the police officer in the video, many managers are left in the dark when it comes to the real nitty-gritty issues that affect many employees. 

Managers are often very capable at the managing the day-to-day running of their department and overseeing the members of their team, but there can often be underlying issues that affect efficiency or moral that go unnoticed. I decided to do some research and looked at 9 different sites that describe the “Role of the Manager”  and almost all of them covered areas such as provide clear performance strategies and targets, provide training opportunities and motivate the workforce etc. etc. the list goes on. 

But, only one or two addressed the importance of developing good communication, as a role of the manager. One item I did find on Small Business Chronical stated that... 

“Communication may be one of the most important responsibilities of a manager to keep the workplace running efficiently. Employees need to know the mission and goals of the business and what is expected of them to achieve those results. Managers must have the ability to comprehend directives from upper management and to then translate them to staff so that everyone is on the same page. A manager's communication responsibilities may also entail resolving conflicts, motivating employees, speaking to the public on behalf of the company and preserving customer relationships.” 

These are all valid points. However, it only addresses the importance of communicating the needs of passing on mission and goals and directives, resolving conflicts, motivating employees and speaking to the public. Where does it state that a manager should listen to employees and address a wide range of workplace issues, explain why certain aspects of their work might be most pressing, encourage employees to share ideas, resolve concerns on a one-to-one basis and valuethe importance of feedback and review from his/her team? 

These would be valuable skills for any manager and all require communication. 

I believe that having good communication skills is probably the most valuable asset a manager can have, but one has to remember that communication is not all about speaking. Listening is just as important, if not more so. 

So, if you want to be a good manager, listen and encourage your team to share ideas, discoveries and issues that affect them. Maybe the Thames Valley Police are on to something. 

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