How to improve communication between colleagues

Being a compassionate leader is really the awareness that your role is not just about how you manage your people and their work deliverables. It’s about understanding that they are people, and they bring all their challenges in their life, their reality, their external world and their home life to their work environment, writes Kerry Howard, author of How to Heal a Workplace.

When your people show up at your workplace, a compassionate leader actually takes into account what is going on for that person each day of their life, and is flexible enough to makes adjustments as needed. Truly compassionate leaders encourage their people to want to show up and focus for the time that they have available, because they feel valued.

But what do you do when you notice that there are interpersonal challenges between your team members? How can you support different individuals to improve communications with their peers?

The primary element to this is to foster self-awareness in your team members.

Self-awareness

Self-awareness is the ability to recognise and understand ourselves as an individual separate from the work environment and others. It involves introspection and a conscious perception of our own thoughts, emotions and actions and how they influence our behaviour at work.

Self-awareness has significant value in the workplace as it fosters personal and professional growth, enhances collaboration, improves communication and promotes effective leadership. By building awareness of their strengths, weaknesses and biases, individuals can make better decisions, manage their emotions, adapt to different situations, and cultivate meaningful relationships with colleagues. Additionally, self-aware leaders are better equipped to inspire and motivate their teams, create an inclusive work environment and drive organisational success.

Building self-awareness

As a compassionate leader, you can improve communication in your team by facilitating an environment that fosters better self-awareness.

There are several ways to help others develop better self-awareness:

Encourage reflection:

Encourage individuals to reflect on their thoughts, feelings and actions. Make time for regular check-ins where you can routinely review email communication for emotive language, and use guided questioning that prompts them to examine their motivations, values and goals.

Provide constructive feedback:

Offer specific and constructive feedback that helps individuals understand how their behaviour and actions, both negative and positive, impact others. This can often be delivered with the negative element in between two positive ones, to mitigate a negative reaction. This can create a deeper understanding of their strengths and areas for improvement.

Use assessments and tools:

Introduce self-assessment tools like personality assessments, 360-degree feedback, or emotional intelligence assessments. These tools provide individuals with insights into their preferences, behaviours and emotional intelligence, in turn building greater self-awareness.

Create a safe and supportive environment:

Strive to provide psychological safety in your workplace by fostering a non-judgemental environment where individuals feel comfortable exploring their thoughts and emotions. Encourage open questioning, active listening and empathy to create a supportive space for enhanced communication.

Lead by example:

Demonstrate self-awareness in your own actions and behaviours. Role-model self-reflection by seeking and accepting feedback, and continuously striving for personal growth. You will inspire and encourage others to iterative improvement.

Offer coaching or mentorship:

Provide individuals with the opportunity to work with a coach or mentor who can guide them in their self-awareness journey:

• Coaches can help individuals uncover blind spots, set goals, and develop strategies for self-improvement. They provide guidance, ask powerful questions, and offer tools and techniques to enhance performance, learning and personal growth.
• Mentors act more as a trusted advisor and role model who shares their knowledge, experience and wisdom with the mentee. The primary purpose of mentoring is to provide guidance, support and career development advice based on the mentor’s own expertise and insights.

Remember that developing self-awareness is a personal journey, and individuals may progress at different rates. Patience, support and consistent encouragement are key to helping others in their self-awareness development and improving the communication in your workplace.

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