COMMUNICATION in all its forms is only effective if it is interpreted in the way in which it is intended.
Many new employers have said to me that their employee was not following their instructions. I always advised them to get the mirror out.
It all starts with the sender of the message, so that seems to be a good place to start to look for any improvements.
In all situations, the blame game is futile - it comes down to accountability being demonstrated by all parties.
Throughout my career, I tended to use phrases or sayings to emphasise what I was trying to achieve. This left very little room for error.
"Less is more" became a favoured saying when talking about communication issues.
The more another person said, the more I found it was open to interpretation.
The more an employee has to remember, the greater chance of confusion and the inability to decipher what is most important.
Learning what not to do is just as important as learning to do things right.
We all know people that like to hear their own voice, and long-winded answers tend to kill, not enhance, a conversation. It is the same with long instructions to employees.
Most employers solely use verbal instructions when some written guides would help.
Another useful technique is to have the employee paraphrase the instructions back to the boss so reassurance or correction can be made.
Repeating instructions has its place, but should not be overdone.
When mistakes and poor performance arise, the worst thing anyone can do is try and defend a wrong position.
If you know that you have "stuffed up", own up immediately and make sure you have a remedial action in mind. This shows your boss that you are honest and accountable for your actions and that you have learnt from your misdemeanour.
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When something goes wrong, quite often one party becomes agitated and the other party remains silent.
Staying silent may allow that person to take some power in the situation, but only delays a solution.
Body language, being guided by our subconscious, becomes a useful way of interpreting a silent person's thoughts.
As an employer, I consider it important to create the environment for employees to own up immediately for their mistakes. The first time it is made, I consider it to be a learning opportunity.
Carelessness or disrespect for livestock or machinery is another thing.
In the case of many employers, they would be well advised to remember back to when they were the same age as their employees and reflect on the errors they made.
Learning what not to do is just as important as learning to do things right.
The last thing an employer needs to have happen is to sack the employee for a wrongdoing and then later come to the realisation that many of the errors made were as a result of poor guidance, little training and no feedback.
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