Is there a conversation you’re avoiding? Don’t let your silence ruin your business!
Communication is key. It’s a statement used so often that it’s nearly become a cliché, were it not so true.
You see, when you know that there’s a vulnerability in your business — a broken process, and underperforming team member, or a client who is abusing their privileges, just to name a few — and you’re not discussing it with those who can have the greatest impact on fixing it, then you’re just avoiding it.
When you’re avoiding having these tough conversations, you’re causing harm to your company in a number of ways.
One, if you’re ignoring talking about a structural problem in your organization, like a broken, flawed, or missing process, then what you’re essentially doing is neglecting the mission of your company.
What is your business’s mission?
At Cardone Ventures, our mission is to help business owners achieve their personal, professional, and financial goals through the growth of their businesses.
This means that everything we do, every process we implement, and every choice we make on behalf of our clients should be in support of that mission. Knowing that there’s a process problem and avoiding the conversation is, frankly speaking, lazy, cowardly, and a dereliction of your duty as a leader in your organization.
A sure way to avoid this type of breakdown in your company is to do what we do, and have a process built for processes. That’s right. A process for processes. Everything you do in your company should be duplicable, including your operational approach to process.
On a quarterly basis, you or your and your leadership team should be reviewing your documented operational processes (including any associated trainings for new and existing hires) to ensure that they’re being appropriately updated, communicated, and delivered so that your teams are following the right procedures and your customers are receiving the service you intend them to.
Trust me, I understand that facing these things, especially if you have a history of struggling to create, document, and implement processes, can feel overwhelming, but it’s better to face these challenges head-on than it is to ignore the problem, watch it grow, and ultimately see your business fail.
Communication — frequent, open, and constructive communication — is vital to any business that intends to 10X.
Are you having the right conversations with your people?
Operational conversations aren’t the only discussions that tend to be avoided in companies. The discussions that are even more likely to be avoided are those that relate to your people.
In my decades of experience and in my work with literally thousands of businesses, I’ve learned a lot of things. One thing that is fundamentally true across the board of all of these businesses, no matter what they do and no matter what they sell, is that people move businesses forward.
Your people have the power to exemplify your mission and turn your business vision into reality. Conversely, they also have the power to create negative brand experiences, disappoint your customers, and push your business toward failure.
And if they do? Well, it’s your fault. It’s your failure. As a leader, you not only have the responsibility of exemplifying the values of your business with every choice that you make, you have the responsibility of holding your people accountable, too, either directly or indirectly through your management team.
Ignoring these tough conversations about performance and conduct has a way of permeating through your organization. It tells the rest of your people that ignoring processes, acting without ethics, and going rogue is acceptable. It makes you look weak as a leader, too. Respect is lost. Performance throughout the organization becomes inconsistent. A breakdown is inevitable.
Make open, honest conversations a standard part of your business
This is why we take performance management so seriously at Cardone Ventures. Weekly one-on-ones are the backbone of how we manage our people. It ensures that our team members have regular facetime with their managers, and provides a venue for them to discuss wins in their performance, opportunities for improvement, and discussions about their personal, professional, and financial goals.
When their annual reviews happen, there are no surprises. Any concerns have already been discussed. Accountability is built into the process. The conversations are documented, so if transitioning someone out of the organization is necessary, all compliance-related matters are on file.
All of this requires a fearless approach to communication. Fearless, constructive communication drives great organizations. Avoiding what needs to be said decimates them.
What kind of business would you rather have?
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