Cultivating Communication...
Fact or fable allow me the use of an ancient story to underscore the critical importance of communication. It is said that long ago, at the beginning of time - mankind set out to build a tower to heaven. However, such a project was inconsistent with the divine plan. Frustrated with mankind’s intention, the deity intended to disrupt the project. In doing so, utilizing the genius only a deity could possess, he knew precisely how to shut the project down. How? Disrupt communication. To do so He simply scrambled languages. Management and crews were given multiple languages indiscriminately. It was imposed upon them, much to their dismay, I might add. Consequently, they were unable to communicate.
The result? They were unable to communicate, and they gave up on the project. It came to an immediate standstill and stopped forever! It was impossible to proceed. Brilliant! Without the ability to communicate, in their frustration they lost interest and ability. It was impossible to proceed, without communication.
This example is a perfect Segway to the topic at hand. The critical necessity of communication in order to effectively proceed with any construction project, completely shut everything down. Have I made my point? Take it or leave it, it is nonetheless true. Developing and maintaining effective communication is necessary to complete (much less efficiently) complete our projects.
Fast forward, here we are, attempting to complete the never-ending projects we are tasked with as contractors and organizations. So then, what interferes with communication? The list? Read on and see….
Let’s start at the top, where everything of importance originates. OK Mr. Upper Management, CEO, President, Chairman of the Board. what kind of example are you setting? Do you want to interfere with progress or facilitate it? Are you leading the way, leading by example or expecting something of subordinates that you don’t model?
35 years ago, I was faced with this predicament. I looked into its daunting gaze and faced it head on. English speaking, I needed to communicate with Hispanic employees. It was a daunting task. What did I do? I attended Spanish classes. I was completely lost. I felt as though everyone in the class understood more than I. I was at the bottom of the class. My instructor made some suggestions. Use the language whenever possible. Watch Spanish news casts on TV and then watch the same newscasts in English. Doing so gave me the opportunity to compare the two. Attempt to read Spanish publications and compare them with the same info in English. It really helped. In addition, he recommended that t I ask questions of my Spanish counterparts, get feedback and insist on learning how to communicate effectively. In doing so, I learned. I currently speak better Spanish than anyone who attended that class.
Yes, I believe that Spanish speakers need to learn English. After all, this is America. But I had to reach some sort of compromise. I had to do my part. But until then – the stalemate continued. Let me give you a piece of advice. Never ask anyone, anything, you aren’t willing to do yourself. So then, if I want my Spanish employees to learn English, I had to be willing to learn Spanish.
Together, both myself and my Spanish counterparts learned to communicate, but not without mutual effort. I learned Spanish and they learned English. It was a slow and grueling process, but by working together, we got through it. Nevertheless, this process is still ongoing. Does it ever end? Let’s revisit that question, another time. In the meanwhile, how critical are communication skills? Nothing gets done without it. Oh and by the way, welcome to the information age!
