N o matter how many people work for you or whether you like or dislike them, how well you communicate with your coworkers plays a huge role in the success of your business.

Reason: Employees take their cues from you. They may not show it, but they pay close attention to everything you say and don’t say... how well you listen... and how much concern you show for them and their well-being.

These communication “cues” determine how employees feel about you, your company, their jobs -- and the customers, too.

Contrast: When employees are in touch with you and informed about the health of the company, they’re happier and more productive.

BETTER LISTENING

Good communication requires good listening and good speaking -- in that order.

The common mistakes employers make with listening include...

Not doing it at all. One of my favorite sayings about listening is: “People don’t care how much bosses know until they know how much bosses care.”

When you don’t listen to your people -- by putting them off until later or by listening without hearing what they’re saying -- you send a message that you don’t really care about them.

Next thing you know, they don’t care about you or your business... or what you have to say, either.

Talking first, listening second. Listening is an unnatural act. When you have a problem with an employee, your first inclination is to take him/her aside, explain how you feel and give instructions on how to solve the problem.

Trap: An employee who is approached that way is likely to feel singled out and therefore may become defensive and resistant to your demands.

Better: Approach with a question that starts a dialogue, like: “How’s the job going?... What’s going well, and what’s not going well?” This invites the employee to share his perceptions and concerns about the job. It also provides a natural lead-in for your observations and suggestions for improvement.

Automatically assuming you have heard correctly. No matter who’s talking or who’s listening, the message sent isn’t necessarily the message received.

To avoid misunderstanding, listen carefully as your employee speaks. Then, give what I call a “read-back” -- a simple verbal summary of what you think the other person has said to you.

This helps you improve your listening skills -- and assures employees that you care about what they have to say.

Doing too many things at once. Trying to listen to someone while you’re checking your E-mail or reviewing your daily to-do list makes the person you’re speaking to feel unimportant.

And -- when people feel you’re not paying attention to what they’re saying, they spend four times as long saying it.

Better: Make an appointment with an employee who needs to speak with you, and agree -- ahead of time -- on a start time and end time for your meeting.

TALKING TRAPS

The most common mistakes on the speaking side of the communications equation include...

Talking too little. Some employers keep to themselves. They rarely engage in watercooler chat and seldom offer employees information regarding the health of the business -- particularly if times are bad.

Problem: When employees get no information from you, they fill in the blanks with their own speculation and gossip, and what they come up with is usually far worse than what’s really going on.

Effective: When there are problems, gather the gang together and lay the problems out on the table -- complete with a clear outline of what you’re doing to solve them. Then, give people a chance to respond to what’s happening and provide suggestions.

Talking too much. Bosses who talk all the time and never wait for a response don’t learn anything and rarely provide employees with new information.

Even worse: Employees tend to feel taken for granted and just plain bored by these habitual speechmakers.

Effective: In one-on-one situations, listen first and then talk -- using a question, if necessary, to open up a dialogue. During meetings, open up with a brief description of the meeting’s purpose. Then devote 80% of the meeting to listening to employees’ thoughts on the subject at hand. At the end of the meeting, spend a few minutes summing up what you’ve heard, explaining what you plan to do and thanking employees for their insights and suggestions.

Talking to the wrong person. It’s common for an employer who is having a problem with a particular employee to talk to another employee about it -- in essence, to gossip in an effort to gain insight into the problem behavior.

Trap: While the employee “confidant” may at first feel flattered, it will eventually dawn on him that the boss may one day discuss him with a coworker, too.

Better: If you have a problem with a particular employee, schedule an appointment to speak with him one-on-one. If you need an objective opinion about the problem, talk to the employee’s manager or, even better, to a colleague of your own at another company.