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Some may
say that a blue-collar job is less stressful than a white-collar job. I'm a
full-time, blue-collar city employee, and I'm frustrated every day. I complain about
the inconsistencies and inefficiencies of my department. My coworkers are the only ones to
hear my opinions because I'm afraid to approach my superiors about the conflicts and
problems within the department. How can I communicate effectively with my superiors
about the inefficiencies of our department? I think my department is
short-sighted in planning, uneven in treatment of employees, inefficient (rather than keep
our old vehicles in shape by preventive maintenance we don't do anything until they break
down), and we're top-heavy in administration (too many chiefs, not enough Indians).
Signed,
Tongue-tied
Dear Tongue-tied:
“In our working environment, we need each other in
order
to achieve our goals and objectives. None of these goals
can be achieved without communication.”
--from Communicating at Work By: Tony Alessandra, Ph.D. & Phil Hunsaker,
Ph.D.
Here are three suggestions:
1. Aristotle suggests, “Think as wise men do, but speak as the common people
do.” Use guidelines to help you communicate effectively, but speak to your superiors
in a way that they will be able to understand. Such guidelines include:
Avoid coming across as a one-directional communicator. Allow your superior to respond.
Voice your disagreement after, not before asking the reasons for his opinion. This will increase the chances of a valuable exchange of ideas.
Use “I” messages to make your superior less defensive.
Bring up “touchy” subjects, like the uneven treatment of
employees cautiously. For example, “I’m aware that some may feel that everyone is treated equally in this department, but I feel that there is uneven
treatment of the employees.”
2. As Abraham Lincoln had said, “If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six sharpening my ax.” The best way to communicate in an effective manner to your superior is to prepare yourself ahead of time. You can prepare yourself by:
Adopting a problem-solving orientation when presenting a problem. Spend time working on a solution rather than focusing on how a mistake, problem, or disappointment occurred. Focus your conversation on resolving, improving, or altering the outcome.
Limit your objectives. You cannot accomplish everything at once, therefore, determine your primary objective in presenting your efforts or accomplishing one goal.
3. Your effectiveness depends on your approach. Approach your superior with politeness combined with communication competence. Once the approach is given, then everything to follow, assuming you are prepared and follow the guidelines, should flow in a smooth manner.
I hope these suggestions prove to make your communication with your superior a success. Think of my advice as a recipe and each suggestion as a separate ingredient. Therefore, combined, they will lead you to your highest rate of achievement.
“Communication skills in our day-to-day life and
relationships create the difference between
misery and defeat or success and satisfaction.”
--Communicate with Confidence! By: Diana Booher
WEGO cannot happen until we communicate, communicate, and communicate,
-- Julie A. Stoltz & edited by Dr. Gorden