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IN THIS ISSUE Featured article Did you know? Recent blog posts Services and products Contact us     Insider's Link to Productivity Newsletter             March 2011  In this edition of Insider’s Link to Productivity, we discuss how effective communication is critical to actively engage employees, foster trust, and promote productivity. As an introduction, we offer four areas a company should consider when building a communication culture. Share your experiences and opinions on this topic by leaving a comment on the McGhee blog. Also in this newsletter is a mental exercise written by Senior Consultant, Jennifer Wilmoth. She shares how effectively using productivity tools has given her momentum on her journey to complete a sprint distance triathlon. Take a moment out of your busy day to learn how you too can use the Cycle of Productivity to help you achieve your most important goals. Featured article Effective Communication Strategies for the Workplace

Whether you’re a supervisor or individual contributor, the more effectively you communicate – as difficult as it might be at times – the greater results you’ll be able to produce. Not everyone joins an organization with the same communication strengths, so it's important to bring new employees up to speed on communication methods inherent in the culture. After all, eliminating confusion up front keeps employees focused on business goals and infuses an element of collaboration into the work environment. We suggest these four areas of focus when building a communication culture  Consistency. Conflicting messages can lead to a state of confusion – one supervisor says one thing, while another says something completely different. Employees panic and freeze up in this situation, unable to effectively make decisions. Delivered consistently, communication protocols provide a method for creating a 'door’s always open' atmosphere where employees feel confident to ask questions and clear up miscommunications. The Meeting Agenda Model is one McGhee tool that helps organizations drive consistent communication. Clear Direction. Knowing where you are, where you want to go, and what needs to be done to achieve high-level goals creates clear direction. A Strategic Team Plan cascaded to each team member provides clarity and metrics around goals and empowers employees to start and finish projects with less rogue actions or procrastination.  Accountability. In an environment with effective communication, co-workers maintain a high level of accountability with one another because they have information and know who’s responsible. Implementing an Accountability Program standardizes how everyone is held accountable for their goals including management and leadership.  Culture. Organizations that demonstrate effective communication reap the benefits of a healthy culture with employees that feel understood and respected, and thus perform at a high level. Benefits Effective communication is tantamount to bottom line success – it increases productivity, decreases employee turnover, and improves morale. Adapting customized communication methods and protocols is the best way to achieve sustainable results when building communication strategies into a corporate culture. Talk to a consultant today about your needs, contact us at [email protected].   Contribute a comment  Back to top   Did you know?   You can learn more about our consultants by accessing their bios online.  Back to top Recent blog posts  Using the Cycle of Productivity to Achieve Your Dreams    by: Jennifer Wilmoth, McGhee Senior Consultant  If you could achieve anything you wanted professionally or personally, what would you choose? Forget about the ‘hows’ for a moment – how much, how long, how do I, etc. Those nasty thorns can deflate any dream in no time. Instead, take a moment, inhale deeply, pause, then let go and just imagine. If anything were possible, what would you want for yourself? What have you accomplished in the past that makes you proud and brings a smile to your face? Give yourself permission to explore outside your comfort zone – it can be ANYTHING.   Continue reading article   Services and products Back to Top McGhee services offerings meet the needs of every level of an organization from the boardroom to the individual contributor. Individual    Team    Organization   1:1 Coaching (PIM) Group Seminars (TBYL)  Objective Accountability Program Executive Coaching Strategic Team Plan  Strategic Team Plan eLearning Accountability Plan  Accountability Plan   Customized Protocols  Customized Protocols    [email protected] Back to top