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What Happens When There's a Lack of Communication?

Anna D. Banks, MAS, CHBC • Feb 23, 2021

In the era of remote work, poor internet signals are often the culprits of a meeting gone bad. Communication is necessary! Whether in your family, in your business, or in your organization, communication is a fact of life.

Any unit, big or small needs to be on the same page, working on the same goals, focusing on the big picture. Communication is so crucial that when we lack it in our relationships with other people, a multitude of issues crop up.

What happens to a team when communication is poor and unclear?

1. Misunderstandings Happen

In an organization with thinking and feeling people, misunderstandings are bound to happen at any time. But without proper communication, misunderstandings will be a norm. This snowballs into many other serious issues. It can lead to children resenting their parents for punishing them over something that could have been simply clarified. An employee might not do their job as expected, simply because they weren't made aware of responsibilities that should have been clearly spelled out for them.

2. Conflict Arises

Leaders are trained to deal with conflict. However, no matter how well you dissipate a situation, conflict leaves scars and hurts. As they say, the damage has already been done. Before conflict even arises, how about nipping it in the bud?

That's right, lack of communication leads to misunderstandings. And when misunderstandings aren't clarified, conflict naturally arises. Is there tension within your team? Ask them the root cause of it, and you'll be surprised it has a lot to do with one or both parties not communicating with the other.

3. Stress Piles Up

Conflict isn't the only tell-tale sign of poor communication. When it feels like stress levels are high, that's a big sign that there are communication problems. Do the members of the team feel always rushed, does work always feel urgent? Is everyone on edge?

When you carefully and clearly lay-out for your team all your goals and priorities, it gives everyone stability and predictability. There won't be any second-guessing on their end and workflow will be more efficient.

Let's also not forget what stress can do to the individual. Employees who are stressed all day go home defeated. The tensions and frustrations they have at work will unavoidably be carried over to their homes.

This isn't the kind of leadership legacy you want for the people you are responsible for. Learn how your team acts when they are stressed and how you can help them with DISC, here.

4. Low Morale

How sad it is for a company if their employees are more relieved to go home than to come to work. But that's what happens when a workplace is full of misunderstandings, stress, and conflict.

Energy and money are wasted on resolving issues, productivity tanks, and trust is lost. That's how dangerous poor communication is for an organization. It's no surprise that a high turnover follows low morale. Employees are demotivated and in the long run, won't work for a company that can't communicate important matters.

This study conducted by Dynamic Signal is alarming. You have to read it for yourself! The researchers concluded, "Companies aren't prioritizing Employee Communication and Engagement highly enough and employees are suffering."

Broken communication methods and fragmented information hurts employees and harms the company.

The same study reveals that 83% of employees would be happy to step up and advocate for their company if only employee engagement and communication were clearer.

Dear leaders, so much is at stake! Connect, engage, and communicate with your employees.

AUTHOR'S BOX:

Anna D. Banks is the CEO and Founder of Thrive Leadership Institute, a training & consulting company. She helps managers and business owners reach the next level of their business. Training teams to communicate and strengthen their working relationship. With more than 20 years of experience under her belt, Anna is an Executive Director with the John Maxwell Team, a Certified Career Coach, and completely passionate about helping leaders thrive.
Begin your purposeful journey today! Download this Free eBook from Anna Banks: "Discover Your Purpose and Thrive in Your Life"