All Problems Are Communication Problems
“All problems are communication problems,” I remember the first time I heard my former mentor say this to a packed room of business leaders. He elaborated, “All problems in business, or life if you boil them down start with communication. Think about the last problem you had in business, where did the communication breakdown happen?”
As an experienced marketing and communications consultant, I’ve spoken with hundreds of business leaders about their business problems. The red thread that connected each organization was communication. These leaders explained a sales or a marketing issue but after further discussion, it was clear that the root cause was a miscommunication or a complete lack of communication.
Miscommunication, or the lack of communication, is where most problems within a business stem. It is often the reason businesses lose employees due to unclear expectations or shared understanding about their future within the company.
Businesses lose clients because of failure to clearly communicate the deliverable, timeline, or an effective solution to their problem. In turn, attracting new customers is challenging because the messaging surrounding the service is unclear. The prospect doesn’t understand what the business does, or maybe the story isn’t being shared. If the great things your brand accomplishes aren’t highlighted effectively, your company will be lost among all the noise.
Poor communication breaks down teams internally too. Inflated overhead, low billable rates or profits, and sloppy hand-offs between sales and operations can all be explained by lack of communication between teams and colleagues. Feeling overwhelmed, distracted, or too busy often leads to sending off quick emails with unclear expectations and messaging. Think about a time when you received an email without an attachment or without a defined deadline or purpose. You likely felt like your time was wasted as you emailed back and forth trying to get to the bottom of what is actually needed. That wasted time means rising overhead, lower profits, and more frustration. Instead of solving problems, time is spent deciphering problematic communications.
All problems are communication problems.
After traveling with Bill for all of those years, I was inspired to help fix these problems. I believe solving communication problems is ultimately the key to creating healthier lives.
If we can solve communication problems and people enjoy going to work, they go home feeling more energized and less frustrated. Perhaps they’ll be better family members, citizens, and community members.
Once I realized this mindset shift, I began building HAVEN around this concept. We may have started with marketing tactics and branding, but we quickly learned that we were held back by communication problems within our client organizations. We learned that helping businesses fix their complex communication problems is essential to growing their businesses.
By helping businesses, leaders, and teams communicate more effectively, they solve problems quicker and more efficiently. Along the way these companies build camaraderie and a stronger culture. When they clarify their message and market to the right audiences, they attract talent and new prospects. The result of fixing communication problems builds community inside and around the organization. This is why HAVEN exists. We are a community-focused communications company that creates innovative teams, enhanced services, thriving economic centers, and unstoppable brands.
Are you looking to fix communications problems in your company this year? Get in touch today!