Internal Communication problems in Business

After working at a handful of consulting agencies, as well as starting my own businesses, I have learned how to anticipate, spot, defuse, and resolve different levels of issues and interpersonal challenges in order to keep teams focused and on track. When the stakes are high and everybody on the team is dedicating themselves to the success of their clients, their company, their team, and their own personal development, it is critical that it's somebody's job to own conflict resolution within the organization - even if that person is you!

Push yourself and your teammates to communicate early and often, even when the individual doesn't think the problem is easily solvable. From my experience, most issues arise from a lack of communication or a misunderstanding. Internal conflict and issues can lead to unhappy clients, unhappy employees, and unproductive teams.

Over the years, I have learned that keeping people happy, focused, and efficient at their job while still making sure they have the ability to be creative, be heard, and express their passion/ability in a meaningful way is an art form, and today I will share some of the specifics around how I have managed this process successfully to date.

This post was written for:

• Individuals that manage their own team or company
• Individuals whose job requires them to effectively interact with multiple teams/departments
• Individuals that manage client relationships
• Individuals who one day aspire to be managers themselves and want to set themselves up for success when they finally take that opportunity

Clearly communicate the company's mission, vision, and culture (values)

It's extremely important for a company to have a clearly defined mission, vision, and sense of culture (values). Equally crucial is to communicate these things on a somewhat consistent basis to the members of your team and to periodically review them to make sure that they are growing and evolving as your business grows. Regardless of whether you are a big fortune 500 company or a small three person team, it will serve you, your partners, and your employees well to have a sense of purpose, direction, and a core set of values from which to make decisions and keep everyone focused.

Here are times and places within the organization you should look to communicate this information:

• During interviews, which can ensure that you are hiring individuals who are the right fit for your company
• On-boarding processes for new hires
• Company-wide meetings
• Team meetings
• Regular employee reviews (semi-annual, annual, etc..)
• Posting it visibly inside the office (by the entrance, in lunch areas, etc...)