Four Ways to Improve Communication at Work

Throughout my more than two-decade tenure as an executive coach and vice president in corporate America, I have seen millions of dollars senselessly lost due to ineffective communication. It’s imperative for achievement-oriented professionals to communicate well in all aspects of their job. Doing so can be the key to cutting through the bureaucracy of an organization and taking control of one’s career, as opposed to feeling like a victim of circumstance. Mastering even a handful of skills can help professionals better negotiate their way through the proverbial career maze with speed, dexterity and accuracy.

Because modern workplace dynamics have become so complex, leaders have less time to spend coaching and mentoring employees, and to benefit from such guidance for their own professional gain. In addition, universities systematically churn out graduates who have learned black-and-white technical skills and theoretical concepts, but not how to aptly prepare for, and traverse through, the inevitable gray area of a company—the environment and culture that manifests from the multi-faceted challenges and forces an organization faces.