Remember the famous comedy routine performed by Abbott and Costello called Who’s on first?
Abbott is identifying the players on a baseball team for Costello; however, the players’ names typically serve as the basis for asking and replying to questions.
Who is the first baseman. What is on second. I don’t know is on third. And the names continue with Today, Tomorrow, Why, Because, and I don’t care.
This leads to repeated misinterpretations and frustration between Abbott and Costello.
In an effort to gain more clarity, Costello decides he’ll be the hypothetical catcher and asks Abbott, “… being a good catcher, I’m going to throw the guy out at first base. So I pick up the ball and throw it to who?”
Relieved that Costello is finally getting it, Abbott confirms, “Now that’s the first thing you’ve said right!”
Costello screams, “I don’t even know what I’m talking about!”
Ever feel like this in business? Saying the right thing is one thing. Comprehending what we’re saying is a completely different thing.
Of course, it’s funny to watch in a comedy set, but to experience it with teammates is exhausting and wasteful. It’s a game of telephone gone way wrong.
At Organize to Scale™, we have a saying … Sloppy Communication equals Sloppy Execution.
Strong communication is about clarity and comprehension.
If your business was a game of telephone, the Visionary would be first in line, eager to share their next big idea with the team. Next in line is the Integrator, followed by a line of tactical team members.
If miscommunication occurs between the Visionary and Integrator, the Integrator will share that misconstrued message with the team.
The team is left without a fighting chance to get it right in the end … No matter how capable they are or how good their intentions may be.
In other words, if the Visionary is unclear about their vision or is unable to clearly articulate it, the Integrator will struggle to translate that into a tactical plan that can be executed upon.
And just like in a game of telephone, the Visionary’s ideas can easily transform into actions that look nothing like they envisioned.
The key is to practice strong communication and minimize sloppy communication.
Here’s what SLOPPY communication looks like:
Making assumptions
Passing the buck
Blaming others
Not asking clarifying questions
Delegating without due dates
Working off old data
Under-communicating as to not micromanage
Not communicating key changes with clarity
Not setting our teammates up for success
Not thinking through how our individual duties in the “assembly line” impact our teammates, brands, and trust-building
Here’s what STRONG communication looks like:
Taking extreme ownership whether the task is ours or not
Asking clarifying questions
Repeating back what we’re understanding and getting confirmation
Making sure we’re setting our teammates up for success
Making sure standard operating procedures are up to date
Key data is on the calendar
Promptly communicating with team members when changes occur
Erring on the side of over-communication
Not making assumptions
Making sure our understanding of an assignment is uber clear
Making sure our delegation of assignments is uber clear
These communication standards apply to Visionaries, Integrators, tactical team members and strategic partners.
Strong communication is crucial so that the game of telephone doesn’t end with peanut butter and jelly instead of passive income strategies.
Without strong communication, execution will suffer WHICH puts cracks in the foundation of what our businesses were designed to do.
Strong communication builds trust and creates consistent execution, which our businesses MUST have in order to scale and succeed.
To Get Help Improving Communication Within Your Business ...
We are bringing a small group of Visionaries and Integrators together to go through our 3-DAY Strategic Business Planning process November 3-5, 2022.
This process includes developing your crystal clear vision, architecting your business blueprint, and generating a 90-day action plan to drive hard on together.
This will be an exclusive opportunity for a limited number of Visionaries & Integrators within the Syndication industry.
Staci Gray has over two decades of experience organizing real-world businesses to scale. She puts an emphasis on quickly collapsing the gap between ideas and profits by persistently executing for progress and results. Staci envisions a world where innovative leaders are no longer trapped by operational chaos and instead are empowered to efficiently and effectively solve real-world problems, impact real-people on a human level and generate profits quickly. Staci loves coming alongside mission-driven leaders who are using their ideas, influence and intellect to build successful businesses and empowering them to scale without losing their sanity, compromising their values, sacrificing their relationships, and drowning in operational chaos. Supporting leaders one business at a time!
