In
the office where I work at the moment, communication is key. I need to
constantly communicate with my team and others outside my organization.
As the Wing Installation Deployment Officer, it is imperative that my
communication skills are top notch and clear, since I work with people
from various organizations on a daily basis to get my job done. If I am
too shy, information will not get to where it needs. If I am too loud,
obnoxious, and demanding, I will be ignored and people will not do what I ask
them. It is important to integrate key behavior guidelines into my
communication in order to get the best possible positive outcome.
The first of
these guidelines suggests that I need to, "differentiate between coaching
situations" (Whetten & Cameron, 2011, p. 265). Depending on the
situation, I may need to give advice or take advice. I will have to
decide between listening, telling, or both. Being able to differentiate
between these various situations is very important. I have learned this
with my wife. When we were first married she would come to me frustrated
and stressed about a problem. I would immediately try to fix the
situation. I quickly learned that she just wanted a shoulder to cry on; once
I figured this out, our marriage got a whole lot better and with a lot less
stress. A hug can fix a lot.
The second
guideline is to "communicate congruently by acknowledging your true
feelings without acting them out in destructive ways" (Whetten &
Cameron, 2011, p. 265). In a world where digital communication is a large
part of how we get messages and information across, it's important for us to
make sure our feelings and thoughts are clear. When we send e-mails,
texts and make phone calls, it can be easy to take things the wrong way.
If I can, I will often send an email and then talk to the person either
over the phone, or in person if the situation calls for it. This way we
can have a dialogue about it and make sure there are no questions or concerns.
I have seen a lot of problems arise that didn't need to because of things
being taken the wrong way.
The third and
fourth guidelines are "use descriptive, not evaluative, statements (and) use
problem-oriented statements rather than person-oriented statements; that is,
focus on behavioral referents or characteristics of events, not attributes of
the person." (Whetten & Cameron, 2011, p. 265). When things get
stressful at the office, it can be difficult to keep emotion out of the
equation. The need for me to stay professional at all times is important.
I can't let my personal feelings and opinions overshadow the importance
of the job and getting things done. When I am frustrated about a
situation, I try to keep in mind the end goal. What do I want to have
happen, and how can I make that happen? This will often allow me to
objectively think about the situation and stay on a clear path to success.
Being in a fast paced environment, it can get stressful quickly. If
I can stay objective and focus on the situation it will help me to hone in on
getting the job done and doing what it takes to make that happen. That
will show in the way I communicate with my team.
I have always
been taught to praise in public. When someone does something that is
exceptional, it is important to let them know and to do it in front of other
people. This falls in line with the next guideline; "use validating
statements that acknowledge the other person's importance and uniqueness"
(Whetten & Cameron, 2011, p. 265). There are many times that those in
my office are asked to go above and beyond , whether that means staying late,
coming in on the weekends, or helping others that are consistently confused.
It is important that I show them my appreciation. I can do this by
not only verbally letting them know how grateful I am, but also working hard to
put them up for awards and making sure they are appreciate from a squadron,
group and wing level. When they know I will go the extra mile for them,
they will do the same for me.
There are times
when we are expected as leaders to institute corrective actions in order to
change someone’s behavior. How we go
about this can make all the difference in the world for that person. It can be difficult as a leader to know how
to go about communicating with people that will result in the desired effect. The book proposes a guideline that can help
when trying to correct behaviors. It
states, “use specific rather than global (either–or, black-or-white)
statements, and, when trying to correct behavior, focus on things that are
under the control of the other person rather than factors that cannot be
changed” (Whetten & Cameron, 2011, p. 265) . If a person is having problems because of
health issues, or because of situations at work that can’t be helped its best
to avoid trying to change those issues.
It’s best to focus on the areas they can improve on. In my office I have people that could use
some mentoring in a variety of areas of their lives. They are all good at getting the work done
they need to, however, the Air Force expects each of us to be leaders, scholars
and philanthropists. I can encourage and
help them along paths that can lead them to taking on extra projects, finishing
school and volunteering in different service based organizations. By doing this, I am helping them to be a
well-rounded individual and a better airman overall. I can focus on the things in their lives they
can improve on, rather than complain about the things that cannot be
helped.
A key factor
when communicating and problem solving is actually allowing communication to
take place. If I am the only one talking,
there will not be a lot of communicating happening. I need to make sure the other people have a
chance to speak and be heard. The text
states, “do not cause long pauses that dominate the time. Be careful not to
completely control the topic being discussed” (Whetten & Cameron, 2011, p. 265) . If I am willing to allow others to contribute
to the conversation, I will most likely come out of the discussion with a much
better idea of what is going on. I may
go into the situation with ideas and pre-conceived notions, yet come out with a
completely different outlook. The same
can be said for disagreements. Often
disagreements are just miscommunications between people. When that communication is brushed up, the
disagreement can sometimes disappear, or at least both sides can come to a
compromise. Allowing each sides to speak,
and be heard, can help communication flow more smoothly, and allow all sides to
see and understand the others perspective.
In my job it can
be easy to place the blame on others. It
takes more courage to take responsibility of decisions being made. The text states, “own your statements, and
encourage the other person to do likewise” (Whetten & Cameron, 2011, p. 265) . It can be easy to fault failures on policies and
procedures or say “they”, the “air force” or the “squadron commander” said to
do it. Always wanting to be the good guy
can make it very difficult to ask people to change behavior when you need them
to. They will see you ask weak if you
can never stand up for your own decisions.
In doing so, expect them to do the same.
When my airmen need me, or someone else, to do something, I expect them
to go to the person and ask them. I
don’t want them to use me as an unofficial liaison. I should expect myself to do the same for
them. Using words like “I”, puts that
added pressure that if it doesn’t get done, I will have to answer to myself,
rather than some no name individual I will never see or hear from. The more this happens with everyone, the
easier it gets, and the more respect people will have for your ability to make
decisions.
When
communicating, it is imperative we be able to listen to others. It can be especially difficult to do this
when you don’t think what the other person has to say has merit or validity.
The text suggest that you “demonstrate supportive listening. Make eye contact
and be responsive nonverbally” (Whetten & Cameron, 2011, p. 265) . I used to work with a person that could talk
your ear off all day long, but as you would try and respond or tell him
anything, he would immediate go about doing something else, or interrupt you,
and even sometimes just walk off. It was
incredibly frustrating and diminished his ability as a leader. By the time he left the area he worked in,
most of his subordinates were happy to see him go. People need to know they can come to you with
problems, concerns, or when they need, advice.
If they don’t think you are willing to listen to them you, will quickly
fall out of the loop of what is going on.
I constantly talk to my airmen about work, school and their lives. They know they can come to me with any
problems they may have, and I will do my best to help them out. I learned from my father that my purpose as a
leader is to listen and take care of others.
He used to tell me that if he takes off for a week from work the company
keeps going and sales keep happening, but when a sales rep takes off for a week,
plans have to be made, shifts have to changed, and if this doesn’t happen,
everything falls apart on that route.
These people are the most important in an organization. They are the experts and the ones that make
everything possible. If I am not willing
to give them my undivided attention, then I am not fulfilling my most important
function as a leader.
The final
guidelines is something that I have not done as a leader, but I think can make
a world of difference. The final
guidelines states, “Implement a personal management interview program with
people for whom you have responsibility, and use supportive communication to
coach, counsel, foster personal development, and build strong positive
relationships” (Whetten & Cameron, 2011, p. 265) . There is nothing more frustrating as a leader
when someone comes to you and states they have been having problems with a
person for a while and when you ask what they’ve done about it they say
“nothing”. Many undesirable behaviors
can be caught and changed early on if we are willing to have open dialogue with
people. When we communicate with those
people and show we are there to support and guide them, we can often catch the
small behaviors and change them quickly.
It is a little like smoothing out a marble. If the marble has bumps on it, it will not
role straight when shot across the circle.
You will not hit the other marbles you are aiming for. If you can smooth out that marble, it will be
much easier to shoot straight, and the goal of knocking the other marbles out
of the circle will be accomplished. If
we can help to guide and smooth out our subordinates, they will be able to
accomplish the goals asked of them. By
doing this, they will hopefully go on to be leaders themselves and do the same
for other.
When we are
asked to lead, we are expected to be able to communicate in a clear, open and
honest way. We need to be able to guide,
mentor and build up those we are leading, so when the time comes, they can step
into the leadership shoes and do the same.
That culture of caring will also carry on. I learned much of what I know about
leadership because I saw my father take care of people he was leading. He often sacrificed his time to make sure
others were taken care of. This not easy
for most people, including myself, but if I want to be able to make a
difference as a leader, I need to be able to communicate effectively and have a
desire to help other to be the best they can be. Whetten, D. A.,
& Cameron, K. S. (2011). Developing Management Skills. New Jersey:
Prentice Hall.
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