What is the importance of communication anyway?
Good communication skills help reduce the barriers that may arise because of language, cultural, or generational differences. Effective communication causes productivity to increase, errors to decrease, and operations to run smoother. It also facilitates the spread of knowledge and forms relationships between people.
Think of how much more one would appreciate communicating with someone who is effectively communicating back. In fact, this is why there may be several people in an organization who prefer to engage with one another over others as not all communication styles are created equally. That said, there are times when people run into roadblocks. For example, there can be a lack of clarity, inconsistency, nonverbal cues, and different levels of listening skills. Differences in communication skills can be shaped by cultural values, thinking styles, and personalities. Generational differences are to be expected, but there are some key traits that can be related to each generation.
Building a cohesive, efficient workplace is the goal of every small business owner. Each employee is vital to the culture and success of a company. Generational differences aside, personalities play a huge role in this. Individual personalities are not likely to change on a regular basis, if ever. The traits that come along with each personality will play a significant role in how each employee contributes to the business.
One tool this author has seen to be highly effective for companies is to have each employee complete a personality test. They can help provide a sufficient amount of insight on not only the strengths of each employee, but also their weaknesses, which are equally important. Knowing each employee’s personality allows one to understand their motivations and their challenges. Providing the right roles or projects for each employee based on this knowledge will help set the stage for success while building confidence and a more productive team.
There are many different types of personality tests that can be used; however, it is important to use one that focuses on individuals in the workplace. Two of the personality tests this author uses when working with an organization is the DISC Assessment, which centres on four different personality traits, including dominance (D), influence (I), steadiness (S), and conscientiousness (C). The other test is called the True Colors Personality Assessment.
Of course, some are not always able to work with others who have the same personality traits as their own and, in this author’s opinion, this is not a bad thing. If an entire department or project committee all scored extremely high in their leadership qualities, it can oftentimes become a challenge when so many people want things to be done their way. Perhaps the phrase “too many cooks in the kitchen” comes to mind?
When one looks at the benefits of having a diverse personality ‘team’ in place, the same can easily apply to a diverse generational team.
