Communicate, Then Overcommunicate

I talk about communication often because it is so vital from a leadership perspective. Not only the amount you communicate but how you deliver it. I recently explained the difference between moving fast and rushing in reference to Service Express’ growth in 2021. As I previously stated, don’t rush, but don’t wait. With that, I also wanted to discuss the importance of communication throughout organizational growth and change.  
 
Around the time I was announcing these changes, the phrase “communicate, then overcommunicate” was said to me. When I started thinking about and working on new strategies at Service Express, I made sure to share my thoughts and ideas from the start. As the plan comes to life, people hear my thoughts and can react to them. Sometimes it makes sense right away, other times the processing takes a bit. Then we can come back, whether that be a week later or a month later, we can talk about it more and start making more sense of it.  
 
There’s a process you go through as you’re thinking about new strategies for your organization. If they’re the right strategies, you’ll gradually come together, and everyone will agree on it. If not, you’ll eventually conclude that it’s not really what you want to do. As a leader, you’re working through all of this. When you decide that you’ve found the right strategy, then it’s time to communicate and implement it. At this time, you must remember that people are hearing about it for the first time. People need time to listen to it, process it and ask questions.  
 
I see leaders often make mistakes when they communicate a new strategy and then move on too quickly. Often, they didn’t grasp it immediately, so they shouldn’t expect their teams to. It’s clear to them because they’ve been working on this strategy for months, but when they move on too quickly, their teams are left needing to sort out details, think about questions and fill in gaps.  
 
Overcommunicating to me means follow-up meetings, one-on-one conversations, check-ins, etc. These can take place that day, later that week or even the following week. Communication is an ongoing process! Leaders can get tired of saying the same thing multiple times or think people are tired of hearing it. Maybe there are times that this is true, but more often, communication needs to be reinforced. It takes time to process change; that’s human nature. We give ourselves time to process, but we don’t always give others that time. Make sure to communicate, and then overcommunicate!