April 2017
Communicating in a Hyper-Connected Work Environment In today's work environment, communication is often driven by what needs to get done right now. It is fragmented, reactive, and more about immediate response than it is about trust or relationship building. "Rarely do we hear each other's voices these days," says Pat Zigarmi, leadership expert and founding associate with The Ken Blanchard Companies. "Communication becomes a series of one-way texts. It's kind of like a ping-pong ball going back and forth. There's very little opportunity to discuss and sort through messages in terms of goals, priorities, role clarity, timelines, or any of the other things that constitute good directive behavior on the part of the manager. There's even less time for supportive leadership behaviors like listening, facilitating self-reliant problem solving, or exploring options." Zigarmi explains that when people don't know the rationale or immediacy of a request, they have no option other than to become reactive. That's not true communication. "Short, request-oriented communication behavior drives out longer, developmentally focused conversations. It's all in the moment and there's no opportunity for mentoring, meaningful feedback, or acknowledgment of what's just been accomplished." Zigarmi shares that when there is no opportunity to take a breath, people can feel underappreciated and even stuck. When the short term drives out the long term, question-and-response communication becomes the norm and managers lose the opportunity to create strong relationships.
READ THE ARTICLE 
Client Spotlight
Leading by Values Medifast California's powerful corporate culture has served them well during a period of rapid growth. In the past eight years, they have expanded from four to fourteen locations in the San Diego and Sacramento areas, and have increased employees from twelve to more than one hundred.  During this time, many high performing individual achievers were promoted into management roles. With a very deliberate plan to protect the culture, Amy Pittman, People Operations and Training Manager, was tasked with finding a leadership training program that would help these new managers be successful in their roles. READ THE ARTICLE
Pre-Order Today!
One Minute Mentoring
Follow Blanchard on Social Media | 
