We recently hosted an interactive Great Starts Breakfast Series event with our good friends from the Stand and Deliver Group. The room was filled with leaders from LA and OC companies, facing a variety of difficulties, successes, and changes. While it may seem odd to have clothing, entertainment, beverage, healthcare, biotech, and investment companies (and many more) at the same event, these organizations share a common bond: they all need to communicate
effectively to succeed. As Jeff Raz and Richard Seyd from the Stand and Deliver Group pointed out to us,
“Your ability to engage, inspire and get results is one of your most valuable assets. In the 21st century, communication is no longer (if it ever was) a soft skill. It is a hard business driver. It is one of the key differentiators between you and your competition—and an essential motivator of your own people. The people in your organization cannot afford anymore to be merely good at communication. They must become outstanding.”
In our work at S. Benjamins & Co., we see this concept play out daily through our clients, candidates, and ourselves. We live in a time where communication is the centerfold of an organization and your ability to inspire and impact through word and delivery is the difference between reaching the pinnacle of success and sputtering in place. Efficient and impactful communication goes beyond the individual; it has the ability to launch (or crush) an entire organization. Richard and Jeff stated that, “organizations that consistently communicate at an optimum level engage customers and stakeholders more readily and maintain the bond — and the business — over a longer period of time. In addition, teams that communicate well internally get more done in less time and with more passion: meetings are efficient, presentations are inspiring and those difficult conversations that are usually avoided become opportunities to connect and grow.”
We have found that leaders inherently know the benefits of communication and its powerful results, but why can’t we always apply reliable and influential communication to our organization? We decided to ask some of the people in the room what strategies they us to ensure consistently powerful leadership moments.
“I make sure I have content prepared that I feel strongly and passionately about; then I visualize the reactions of my employees.”
“It is critical that everyone clearly understands the message. My direct reports have the responsibility of ‘cascading the message’ to their teams, so clarity and understanding is a must.”
“I ask the team for clarifying "action steps" at the end of each meeting. What's the call to action here? Get them to voice it, and agree on what needs to be communicated to the team.”
“I prefer to communicate constantly and always explain the “why”. When people understand “why” they have context and when they have context and knowledge they can do amazing things.”
Whether communication in leadership moments includes accurate content, passionate delivery, or thoughtful nonverbal and verbal feedback, one thing is certain: Impactful Communication is King.
Our Playbook 2014
It is hard to believe that the first quarter of 2014 has flown by. Maybe mindfulness will slow it down. Our goal this year is to continue to help companies find great talent and bring that great talent together. Our team continues to connect with people that see their work in new ways and stretch themselves sometimes in scary ways. They inspire us to act and think differently.
In our search work, we see an increase in management change yet still a scarcity of talent. This year we will focus on three things - stay with the core, add a new dimension and bring talent together.
Stay with the Core – Over half of our searches are in HR at the management and executive level. Our flexible and tailored approach to search works and 70% of our clients return for our help. We value those relationships and will start new conversations with leaders who are bold, take risk and value talent.
Add a New Dimension – It seems that now almost all our new clients are mid-market and growth companies. We value the chance to help their CEO’s and COO’s build leadership teams that understand the human side of business.
Bring Talent Together – We launched our second HRoundtable in 2013 and now this year our two groups of HR leaders represent more than 38 companies in LA, OC and San Diego. We also facilitate a Talent Leaders Forum and re-launched our Great Starts Breakfast Series for executives from all functions.
In our quest to share ideas, check out the Top 10 Life Lessons by Professor Robert L. Joss, Dean Emeritus from Stanford Graduate School….he says, “Stay around people who are smarter than you. People who will give you honest feedback for it is one of life’s great gifts.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62rgESCyB2g
Search
Featured Searches
BenQ, Director Human Resources
Saint Joseph Heritage Healthcare, Program Director
Dignity Health Medical Foundation, Director, Care Management
Energy Tubular, Sales Leader
If you, or someone you know would like to learn more about the positions above, please contact Kate Kjeell at kate@sbcompany.net
Featured Placements:
Farmer Bros, Director Human Resources
Dignity Health Medical Foundation, Executive Director
Ricardo Beverly Hills, Vice President Finance
B&B Pipe, General Manager
Bringing Talent Together
Learn more about how we bring leaders and learning together in our HRoundtables. Visit us at: http://sbcompany.net/services/bringing-talent-together/