By Steve Adubato, PhD
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the fact that I firmly believe great communicators are not "born" but rather are developed. Great communication comes from a combination of practice, persistence and patience. It also comes from a burning desire to connect with other people in a more meaningful, personal fashion.
By Steve Adubato, PhD
Sometimes it's not just the message you send, but the vehicle you use to send that message that can reap havoc on an organization. E-mail definitely has its place in the modern workplace, but as a tool to lead, motivate and potentially threaten large numbers of employees it can be a disaster waiting to happen. Take the case of Neal Patterson, Chief Executive of the Cerner Corporation, a software company based in the Midwest with about 3,000 employees. Recently, there was a published report about Mr. Patterson's communication faux pas when he attempted to get a message to about 400 of his employees regarding his desire to get them to work harder and longer hours. Look at his e-mail and decide how you would have felt being on the receiving end:
By Steve Adubato, PhD
I love comic strips. I find them very educational. One of the strips I take some license with and use in my "Stand & Deliver" communication seminar portrays Mary, a busy boss, telling her loyal but overworked assistant the following: "Jim, I need that Jones report ASAP."
Jim responds; "Sure, boss, no problem."
On the surface, this appears to be effective communication:
By Steve Adubato, PhD
Last week, I interviewed US Senate candidate Jon Corzine for a television program I host. He wanted to talk about his agenda in this race, but before that, I had to ask him about the really stupid comments he allegedly made about Italian-Americans.
I'm sure you've heard. Corzine met a small group of Italian-American businessmen in a Newark restaurant called Michalangelo's. According to someone who was there, when Corzine was introduced to a man named David Stein, he said, "He's not Italian is he? Oh, I guess he's your Jewish lawyer who is here to get the rest of you out of jail." Ouch!