"The CEO of a mid-size firm was lamenting the poor performance of her sales department. After describing in detail how the salespeople were falling short of expectations, we agreed that the CEO would discuss the situation with her sales manager and ask that he take specific actions. A few weeks later, I asked the CEO whether the situation had improved.
"There's been no change," she told me.
"Did you speak to your sales manager?" I asked.
"Yes," she said. "I told him a few weeks ago what actions needed to be taken, yet nothing has changed."
Surprised at the lack of progress, I pressed her for the details. "When you spoke to the sales manager, did you tell him how disappointed you are with the performance of his department?"
"Yes," she replied.
"And did you clearly articulate the steps you felt were necessary to improve sales?"
"I made them crystal clear," she said.
"Well, tell me about your meeting with the sales manager and how he reacted to your conversation with him."
She paused before replying. "Well, I didn't actually meet with him," she said. "I sent him an e-mail. And he replied by e-mail saying that he would take care of everything. But nothing's changed so far."
What's wrong with this picture? What's at the heart of the issue that this CEO is dealing with? How likely is it that this issue will get resolved anytime soon? Does the sales manager even understand that there is a serious issue?
The real problem, of course, is ineffective communication. I can't tell you how many times I've had executives tell me about discussions they've had with others on critical issues, only to learn that they were e-mail exchanges and not face-to-face conversations. Donald Rheem, internationally known media consultant and former White House correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor, defines communication as "accurate and effective exchange of meaning." There's no question that e-mail can be used to accurately transfer information from one person to another, but what about effective exchange of meaning?
During my interview with Rheem for this column, he said, "Emotion is the most critical factor in communications." We express our emotions through voice intonation, facial expression and body posture. People hear what we say. They also hear what we don't say — the non-verbal cues we send, consciously or unconsciously. CEOs today, according to Rheem, are often unaware of how many of the issues they face have ineffective communication at their core. We tend to define communication too narrowly, not realizing the personal and organizational impact of insufficient or ineffective communication. Even when they are aware of the problem, Rheem noted, many executives just don't know how to solve it.
I believe the problem's going to get worse. In our high-tech, multi-tasking, virtual world, we rely increasingly on electronic communication. While our personal productivity may be higher in the short term, our organizational effectiveness will be lower in the long term. We need low-tech, single-focus, real conversations with our most important assets: our people.
As a CEO you should think of yourself as the communication effectiveness officer. There is no one in the company who understands the vision, has the passion and is as invested in the success of the enterprise as you. There are certain communications with employees, customers and the public that should not be delegated. When you sit down to compose that e-mail message on an important subject, consider how much more effective you would be if you picked up the phone and called the person. Even if you must leave a voicemail, they will "hear" the emotional component in your voice. Information related to performance reviews, demotions, promotions, raises, benefits changes, layoffs and other personal issues must be delivered in person. Your communication will be more effective, and your people will be pleased that you made the effort to be with them.
Here's one final thought, attributed to Charles Dickens by Creative Quotations.com:
"Electric communication will never be a substitute for the face of someone who with their soul encourages another person to be brave and true."
Louis Allegra is president of Allegra Management Consulting, Inc. He chairs CEO advisory boards in affiliation with Vistage International, the world's largest CEO membership organization, to help Lexington-area executives become better leaders, make better decisions and get better results. He can be reached at Louis@AllegraManagement.com