Business-Strategy
The Most Common Mistake in Business - And How to Overcome It
9:35 AM
Over the last several months in my current role, I’ve
observed the good and bad of business practices. I’ve seen successful
people shine in front of executive audiences, and I’ve seen the opposite
end of the spectrum too. I've made my share of mistakes, as well. So
far in my experience, the most common type of mistake I’ve witnessed is ineffective communication.
“Communication” is a broad, often over-used term. To
peel the proverbial onion, I’ve found that there are generally four
types of ineffective communication - and I'll admit I've made every
mistake that follows.
The second type of ineffective communication happens when we communicate, but to the wrong audience.
For small companies, it’s relatively easy to ensure all team members
are in the loop, and so everyone is able to act with the right
information. But as companies grow, so do the opportunities to fail
providing the right information to the right people. Almost
every time, the wrong audience stems from omissions rather than
inclusions, i.e., you’re more likely to get in trouble for not communicating to the right people, than when you do communicate to the wrong people. (There are, of course, exceptions, such as with privileged information.)
Third is the error of delayed information.
You might provide all the right details and to the right people, but if
it is late, it may be worthless. In the information era we live in,
timely communication can be the difference between making a brilliant
decision or missing out on the opportunity. For any company, the speed
and quality of decision-making is the make-or-break factor influencing
its success.
Finally, the last type of ineffective communication, and potentially most egregious, is inaccurate information.
Fortunately, this is not common, but when it does happen, severe
consequences may loom. The best way to resolve this issue is to be quick
to correct — i.e., as soon as possible, acknowledge the inaccuracy. You
don’t have to necessarily solve it — although that would be
ideal — just admitting the error can often prevent subsequently
unintended grief.
While the most common mistake in business, ineffective
communication is also most preventable. The following three simple tips
may help us overcome the pitfalls:
If you ever question whether you are sufficiently communicating, the answer is no.
When you have doubt, chances are others are wondering
too. Use this as an opportunity to verify that everyone is on the same
page by communicating more proactively. Put differently, the harm of
under-communicating is usually much greater than the harm of
over-communicating.
CC = FYI.
We all struggle with email overload. One way to help
your recipients is through proper usage of the CC line. Use the CC for
anyone who might benefit from the information, but is not required to
respond. It helps the reader triage through the deluge of messages, and
helps prevent accidental omission of key stakeholders. When I am cc'd on
emails, I'll always skim it for information, but only respond to a
small fraction of them, when absolutely required.
Remember the fourth C.
Much has been written about the three C’s of communication: Consistency, clarity, and courtesy. I’d like to propose a fourth C: Context. Context matters.
Think of it this way: the cost of providing context (a few extra
keystrokes and a few more minutes on the sender’s behalf) is much lower
than the cost of failing to provide context (confused stakeholders,
inaction, poor decision-making). The next time you are rushing to write
an email, remember the costs of omitting context.
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