Can a river flow both ways?
Communication is currency
How many times have you experienced a situation that could have been solved so easily through more communication? We see this every day in most startups where the speed at which the business operates comes at the expense of purposeful communication. This is not always a bad thing, but when communication fails by creating an environment that can be seen as "creating silos", there is almost always a breakdown in culture.
Part of a winning culture is the feeling of inclusivity. Individuals want to feel valued and a way to value your employees is to have open conversations about business strategy, longterm plans, and overall success. A weekly standup is a prime example of gathering employees into a single place (both physical and through technology) to celebrate the success of the business and go over KPI's that the business is tracking against. This feeling of inclusivity allows individuals to internally celebrate achievements that directly attributed to overall business success. It is important to give this platform so that individuals can see the overall result of their individual contributions.
Communication is a form of currency. It is traded back and forth within an organization where individuals will acquire emotional currency that they will then in-turn deposit back into the organization through going above and beyond their everyday jobs. This sense of reaching further is done without expectation, rather it is done through happiness. Employee happiness is such a powerful tool that is often overlooked and by providing emotional currency through inclusivity can create an unstoppable force.
Open communication paths up, bring employees into decision-making processes, and create an environment that fosters camaraderie. Organizations that have silos or policies that discourage employees from talking to other teams will inevitably fail.
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