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How Personal Communication Promotes a High-Performance Culture

michelgoedegebuure

Projects stall. Deadlines get extended. Costs increase.

 

When communication is impersonal or inconsistent, your team’s productivity suffers. I’ve witnessed it firsthand, and I bet you’ve experienced the same frustration.

 


Poor communication leads to misalignment and chaos.
The grim environment of poor communication.

Here’s an example from a project I backed.

Communication during a client project

A customer of mine had to collaborate with a government agency on a project of existential concern. The stakes could not have been higher. Success ensured the company’s survival; defeat would have been the end.

 

The first part of the process did nothing to remove any anxiety; in fact, we got more and more worried about the outcome and the consequences for the company and the employees.

 

First, we needed to submit a detailed application, which included a five-year projection of the activities, earnings, costs, employee base, and profits.

Collating that all is a tedious and laborious task.

After that vigorous work, we merely needed to send the documents to the leading government agency; they deemed no clarification was necessary.

 

The lack of in-person communication about the application worried me because, in my 25+ years in many leadership roles, I have learned that understanding the exact meaning of someone’s message requires dialogue.

We, therefore, made a video of the company’s leadership presenting our plan to help the receiving parties better understand it.

 

After submission, we updated the agencies on our progress and regularly enquired about the status of our application. However, for nine months, we heard nothing about what was happening, the status of the decision-making process, or when they expected to finish their internal deliberations.

 

Suddenly, they requested a video call for the next day. We only learned the meeting had a generic purpose and no meeting agenda.

 

At this moment, the stress was palpable. How do you plan for a meeting like that? Speak too much, and you may unintentionally harm your case. Say too little, and you risk appearing unprepared.

 

We met at my client’s office in person, and the meeting was scheduled a few weeks ahead.

The vibe during the meeting was neutral. The agencies asked a few basic questions, and they kept their cards close to their chest. We had no clue about their position regarding our application.

 

Then came vague emails with generic and unclear queries. To avoid misinterpretation, we reacted briefly and precisely. While formulating answers to two consecutive emails containing the usual ambiguous questions and a new Excel overview to fill, we requested for a call to get more clarity as to what the agencies were seeking.

 

We expected this request would be denied, as it was previously. To our surprise, we were speaking directly within hours.

 

Something shifted after that.

 

During a few consecutive calls, we aligned. The project gathered momentum. Misunderstandings gave way to a mutual understanding of my client’s plans and the visualisation of these plans needed by the agencies to be able to decide on the application.

 

By the end, what began as a rigid, remote, and disconnected process had transformed into a collaborative relationship.

 

Needless to say, our anxiety faded as well; we felt we could somewhat control the outcome of this existential decision.

 

At least we can ensure that our story was heard and understood.

 

To be clear, the agencies tried to communicate clearly. The emails were carefully crafted and worded; the issue is that written communication is inferior.

Why Personal Communication Drives High-Performing Cultures

The experience in the previous section made me think about how vital in-person communication is. Chat, email, and other text-only means lack immediate feedback, voice intonation, and body language, making them inferior means for sensitive and important topics.

 

Effective communication is essential for fostering a high-performance culture.

 

But how does it look in practice? Let me break it down.

  1. Clear communication reduces waste and ambiguity. Misalignment and misunderstandings cause mistakes, delays, and rework. Clarity, on the other hand, enables your team to focus on providing value without second-guessing themselves. Trust accelerates results.

  2. Impersonal communication reduces trust. Why would someone go the extra mile if they did not feel heard? When communication becomes personal and two-way, trust grows, and with it comes collaboration. People tend to get negative thoughts and feelings if they don’t know what’s happening. They assume their issue is forgotten or, even worse, people are plotting something against them. Regular communication keeps everyone’s minds in the same place.

  3. Misaligned teams waste energy and time, while aligned teams drive action. Clear, consistent communication ensures that everyone understands the mission, their job, and how their work fits in the overall picture.

    Alignment of a team's purpose and how to achieve that is what makes teams successful. Personal communication is indispensable to achieving a high-performance culture.
    Happy team members collaborating on achieving a shared cause and objective

Applying This to Your Business

Let’s take the lessons from my client’s experience and turn them into tangible strategies for creating a high-performance culture in your organisation.

 

  1. Make communication personal.

    • Speak directly with individuals instead of using emails or memos whenever possible.

    • Insist on phone or video conversations or in-person meetings for difficult and sensitive issues.

    • Send a summary email to ensure alignment and confirm agreements after the conversation.


  2. Encourage dialogue: One-way communication hinders progress. Encourage your staff to provide feedback, questions, and input. Use open-ended enquiries to discover ideas that you may have overlooked.


  3. Provide clear and consistent instructions. Avoid sending imprecise or generic requests. Explain:

    • the goal,

    • the reason for it,

    • and what you expect from your team

    in unambiguous language.

     

  4. Transparency Builds Trust: Share your knowledge, more importantly, when you don’t know something, even if it is difficult. People do not trust things they do not understand. The more transparent you are, the more engaged your team will be.

     

  5. Prioritise Shared Goals: Ensure all team members understand how their work contributes to the overall purpose. This alignment keeps everyone moving in the same direction, focusing your organisation’s efforts.

Why Communication Provides a Competitive Advantage

Consider the cost of poor communication in your firm. Missed opportunity. Misunderstood intentions. Lost time.

 

Now, picture the opposite:

  • Your staff operates efficiently.

  • Clients appreciate the smooth procedure.

  • Projects move faster with fewer delays.

 

This is not a pipe dream. It is the reality of firms that value communication as a pillar of their culture.

I know this works because I’ve done it myself for 35+ years. I focus on clear, constructive, open conversations when leading a new team. I ensure everyone in the team hears from me every month, and I mix the settings and how I bring the same message.

 

Improved communication has forged strong teams when I was a board member of the Society of Aerospace Engineers at Delft University, at the hockey club of my kids when I chaired the referee committee, and during my 25+ year career.

 

In my experience, successful businesses use communication for ongoing improvement. They don’t simply talk about becoming great performers; they build processes to make it happen.

 

Most companies lack purpose and dialogue. If you implement these, you are far ahead of your peers. Your company is nimbler to respond to market shifts, you attract and retain more talented team members, and your partners and clients love to work with you.

Now, that is a competitive advantage.

The Takeaway

When communication is personal and consistent, projects run smoothly. Teams collaborate. Trust builds. The results follow.

 

To create a high-performance culture, you must first address communication issues.

•      Regularly share the company’s purpose and progress in this crucial journey.

•      Encourage dialogue and avoid one-way communication.

•      Foster trust by your leadership.

Final Thought

The cornerstone of operational excellence is more than just processes and tools. It is the quality of your conversations. Do you want to learn more about how communication influences company transformation?

 

Every week, I offer observations like this. Return next time for realistic, no-nonsense ideas to take your business to the next level.

 

What is your main takeaway you will implement immediately?

 

Please let me know in the comments.

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