Improving Communication: What Would Henry Ford Do?
By Rocky White, CEO, The SyN Learning Institute
“Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs,” quoted Henry Ford. He was speaking about his theories of mass production and went on to prove his point and change the world by breaking down the complex assembly of an automobile into a series of linear steps.
If manufacturing a car can be categorized as not particularly hard, then what makes running a successful business or team so rife with problems? Why is it that human resource managers spend large chunks of time resolving conflict? Entire HR divisions, such as CoWorker Engagement teams, are devoted solely to handling conflict resolution. Most executives agree the threat to success and growth doesn’t lie in getting the job done but in the daily communication breakdowns, misunderstandings and disconnects that naturally arise on the interpersonal assembly line.
Not only a brilliant industrialist, but Ford was also an astute observer of human motivation and what drives success. Always concerned with economies of scale and streamlining tasks, Ford had a way of capturing and conveying truth that still resonates today. When it comes to improving communication, his advice was this: “If there is any great secret of success in life, it lies in the ability to put yourself in the other person’s place and to see things from his point of view – as well as your own.” And on organizational challenges, he offered this simplification: “There are no big problems, just a lot of little problems.”
Over the next several weeks, The SyN Learning Institute will conduct live virtual training seminars focused on improving communication, in all its various forms. As a preview, I look to Henry Ford for simple solutions to common communication problems hat hinder growth and success. These familiar failures and others are outlined in Katie Hedges’ book, Power of Presence: Unlock Your Potential to Engage and Inspire Others.
- Failure to Clarify. Everyone from C-Suite level executives to staffers needs to ensure that directives are clear. Employees without defined goals waste time guessing, miss the mark too frequently and create more work for everyone.
- Fix: Ask for specific examples of what success will look like on your project. If you ask well-informed questions, you’ll look smarter than if you execute incorrectly.
- Ford: “Most people spend more time and energy going around problems than in trying to solve them.”
- Failure to Know the Audience. People at different levels and in varying roles require different levels and types of information, granularity. In general, the higher up the audience, the less detail the communicator needs to provide. The CEO of a company should know a little about a lot of functions, whereas a functional manager needs to receive a depth and breadth of information.
- Fix: Craft your comments to the highest-level person at the meeting and address what he or she will find valuable. Put the details in an appendix and have them ready to present if asked.
- Ford: “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.”
- Failure to Influence. You leave much of your power on the table if you use qualifiers such as “I think,” “we might” or “I hope to” before making your point. Put a stake in the ground. It shows confidence to commit. Consider the difference between “I think we will hit our goal” and “We will hit our goal.” Exact resolution may feel uncomfortable now that hedging has become the social norm, but therein lies the power.
- Fix: Script your presentation and choose words that convey confidence and determination. Ask a colleague to take note of when you use vague terminology or weakened speech and set a path for more clear, concise and confident communication.
- Ford: “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.”
- Failure to See Possibilities. In most organizations, a familiar dynamic often plays out: One person throws an idea on the table, and the others jump in to pick it apart. Our culture seems to believe that smart people have an analytical ability to point out potential hurdles. Therefore, those who wish to appear smart often do so by going negative.
- Fix: Make it your habit to jump on what’s right first instead of what’s wrong. If an idea is simply rotten, say how much you appreciate the thought or effort and explain why you feel it falls short and how it can be improved. If you kill an idea, provide an alternative.
- Ford: “Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.”
- Failure to See the Downside. Being too positive reflects the opposite side of the continuum and occurs when we want so much to be a likeable team player that we agree too readily. Every idea is great, each deadline is possible and new projects are all upside. You’ll build more trust and admiration by being truthful to yourself, and others, by saying maybe or no when that’s the best answer.
- Fix: When you find yourself tempted to state agreement when you feel opposition, learn to express your true opinion. Offer constructive criticism and other possibilities rather than agree with what may be trouble down the road.
- Ford: “We all start will all there is. It’s how we use it that makes things possible.”
One of my all-time favorite Ford quotes is: “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.”
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