Communication Issues
After a long day’s work, I decided to go to a local counter order style BBQ restaurant. The outdoor dining area had just reopened, and I decided to treat myself to a well-deserved meal. I went and placed my order for a combo meal, one that includes a fountain drink, and the cashier informed me that I would need to ask an employee to get a refill at the self-service counter. This surprised me because I had been there just a few days ago and was able to get my own refill. It turns out that this is a process meant to protect people from the spread of the Coronavirus. I went and ate my meal; it was quite enjoyable. When I got ready to leave, I decided to take advantage of the free refill policy. I went to the employee working the dining area and she was happy to help me. When I was talking to her she seemed extremely happy that I had asked for her assistance. After talking with her briefly I learned that she has gotten into trouble because people have been refilling their own drinks. She was uncomfortable confronting some of these people and this led to many awkward moments. She kindly explained to me that most cashiers do not tell customers about this new rule and this is where the confusion lies. I admitted to her that a few days ago I broke the rules, not intentionally but because I was not informed of them. She didn’t seem surprised. At that moment I thought to myself, as a country we have a lot of communications issues.
Work
To revisit the start of this story, I went to get this high-quality meal because I had had a long day at work. I have been part of a team that was assigned a major project with an insanely fast time scale. This team, that I was reluctant to be part of, worked long hours to achieve a goal that was not made clear to us. We worked hard, we got feedback from the contacts we had, and thought we had done a great job. We learned earlier in the day that we would have to go back and redo much of this work. We were not in trouble and were told we had done a great job, but the end goal was something different then what we imagined. The entire team, myself included, were demoralized. We had worked so hard and thought we were on the right track only to learn that we were not. This goes back to the initial theme of communication. The end goal and what the desired outcome was never communicated to us. We were given limited information and as a result will have to work harder than necessary to get the job done; and it was avoidable. However, I feel like the worst part about the whole situation is that I somewhat expected this. In order to be successful people need clear directions, this didn’t happen and as a result I felt we were set up to fail.
Digital Age
Technology makes communication easier than ever before. We do not have to wait for the mail or the newspapers to get the most up to date communication. Anyone can send an e-mail in a few seconds; however, the bigger companies get the more emails and they fail to communicate. There are a number of reasons why. Some people just expect some else to do it for them, while others will avoid giving out direction in fear of making mistakes. Laziness and carelessness run rampant in our economy, it is sad to admit this. We have become spoiled by the ease and convenience of robotics and computers. Probably the most annoying thing is one we have all experienced. We have an issue and we get stuck dealing with an automated phone system. A real person could likely fix our problem in a few minutes but instead we are stuck wasting an hour dealing with a computer. Trying to bypass this issue also is frustrating. How quickly do emails to companies’ generic customer service email boxes get answered? A small business likely answers quickly, why? because they need business. In contrast, a large company, with far more employees, often takes days or even over a week to respond. I have no real reason as to why it takes so long, all I can say for sure is it should not take 5 days for someone to respond to a question that can be answered in 5 seconds.
Personal Relationships
It is difficult to admit but people’s biggest failures are not professional but personal. Again, there are countless reasons as to why this can happen. Some can be the fault of time while others the fault of actions. The key to a healthy relationship is communication just like a key to a toxic relationship is secrets. We must learn to be transparent and open with the ones we love. We need to realize that our families should love us for who we are, not who they think we should be. If I am upset about something it is up to me to voice my frustrations in a calm demeanor. I need to explain why I am frustrated and do it in a way that doesn’t cause a fight. This can be difficult, but most things worth doing are difficult. Additionally, it is important to listen. Relationships are not only about yourself, it is about a community. We are a relationship for a reason and we must make sacrifices in order for the partnership to flourish. So make time to listen, be respectful of others opinions, and be available. It is surprising how doing these simple things can help bring people closer together instead of pulling us apart.
Our society, both professionally and personally, is built on communication. Our biggest successes are when everyone is on the same page and if we search history some of the largest failures are due to a simple miscommunication. So it does not matter what the task in question is, just remember information is power and we must empower those around us. In the end it is always the team that succeeds and the lone individual who typically fails.