Communication is a crucial skill. The role of a supervisor is to guide and support their team8tes.
Everyone has their own preferred communication style. To be successful in your role you must find a style that suits you and your team8tes.
Communication goes beyond everyday conversation. It is an essential part of being a leader and underpins everything you do.
The most important communication skill is listening.
One-on-one meetings, difficult conversations, giving feedback and recognition are key communication skills that, when mastered, will help to create stress-free, safe and high-performing teams.
Active listening - the key to better communication
How well you listen has a major impact on your job effectiveness, productivity and the quality of your relationships with others.
Listening is the most important part of communication. It’s not always easy to do,
but it is a n easy skill to learn.
So, why is listening so important?
Regular check-ins with your m8tes
Regular communication with work & team8tes is key to creating trust, building strong, supportive and safe workplace relationships, and high performing teams.
“Workers who have regular 1:1 meetings with their manager are 3x more likely to be engaged.”
Engaged and connected workm8tes are happier, work harder, are more productive and are less likely to leave.
Regular one-on-one meetings are a dedicated time for you and your direct reports to connect.
Give effective feedback
Feedback - both positive and negative - is essential to building productive workplace relationships. Giving feedback shows workm8tes that they are important. It is also essential to their professional development by helping them understand what is expected of them and how they are performing.
Feedback should happen on a regular basis – as part of your one-on-one check-ins – not just when performance reviews come around or if there is a problem.
Want more information on one-on-one check-ins?
Make giving feedback part of your everyday actions, creating thriving and productive workers.
We’ve developed a short how-to on giving effective feedback.
Make good decisions fast
Indecision hurts. It can kill productivity, and demotivate workers.
Some decisions are so simple that you're barely aware you're making them, while others are time consuming, high risk, and can be stressful.
As a leader you must make many decisions. But not all decisions are equal. Being able to make good decisions quickly is the key to unlocking increased productivity and thriving teams. Quick decisions help your your team get on with their work. Which is better for them and better for you.
Learn more about the Observe-Orient-Decide-Act (OODA) loop and how to make good decisions fast.
Recognise & reward your workm8tes
Recognition that is genuine and timely helps to retain talented workers, increases engagement and improves performance.
The #1 reason most people leave their jobs is a lack of recognition.
We all need to feel appreciated. When your workm8tes feel appreciated and recognised for their individual contribution, they feel valued, they’re more engaged, motivated, have higher job satisfaction, are less likely to resign and more likely to go the extra mile for you and the business.
The trick is to do it well.
While it's crucial to recognise major accomplishments, don’t overlook the power of an everyday thank-you to motivate.
Our research shows workers’ value genuine verbal recognition more than financial reward.
Annual bonuses become expected, yet are often not seen as genuine appreciation - but rather as an entitlement.
We’ve developed a guide for how you can deliver recognition with impact.
How to have difficult conversations
No M8 likes to have hard conversations.
Avoiding difficult conversations comes at a cost.
In the long-term, not having difficult conversations destroys trust, lowers team8te morale, productivity and efficiency, and hinders innovation, problem solving and learning. By not having honest conversations with your workm8tes you are misleading them, denying them the opportunity to improve, and harming their future performance and job prospects.
Difficult conversations are a necessary part of working well with your workm8tes.
They are they first step in addressing issues to create a stress-free, safe and productive workplace.
Don’t fear, we’ve a how-to guide to walk you through how to navigate difficult workplace conversations.
How to have a difficult conversation with your boss
People aren’t mind readers. Even the best manager is likely to be unaware of what is causing a person stress without good communication.
However if problems are left unspoken and unaddressed, change is difficult and the situation can become worse.
Difficult conversations are challenging and can be uncomfortable and awkward – but a little discomfort in the moment can lead to better outcomes and positive working relationships.
Follow our tips on how to have a difficult conversation with your boss.
How to have tough personal conversations
This may be the most important conversation you have all year.
As your workm8te’s supervisor YOU are best placed to notice when a M8 is struggling.
Know how to spot the signs of stress in a workm8te. Is the check engine warning light on?
Do you need to act before it escalates into a bigger problem?
Take immediate action.
Starting the conversation is the hardest part. To help we’ve created a guide to having tough personal conversations to help you take the crucial first step to help a struggling M8.