Communication: Key to success

Communication - the human connection - is the key to personal and career success.
Paul J. Meyer

Effective communication is important for the development of an organization. It is something which helps the
managers to perform the basic functions of management- Planning, Organizing, Motivating and Controlling.
Oh, but why am I writing it here? I am writing to an audience who are IT professionals and they know their job
best. Put them into a complicated scenario and they can come up with a tool or technology or a custom module
to over come that problem. But is that enough in the real world where you work with humans?
If you think that communication skills aren’t very important for information technology jobs and careers, think
again. As the world of IT grows ever more complex, information technology professionals are called upon daily
to explain technology applications to marketing, sales, operations, finance and other professionals at the
companies where they work.
Today engineers are often called upon to give oral reports or comment on key issues during meetings or
discussions. Good communication skills are essential. In fact, if you are unable to clearly explain things or
adequately document them in critical situations, you may very well endanger client relationships or even lose
valuable work contracts for your organization.
Points to focus on to improve on your communication skills:
1. Listening: Incorrect assumptions are the bane of any listener.
If you had a client who said he wanted a system up in two weeks, would he mean up and tested and
ready for prime time? Or would he mean live but with the understanding there would be bugs to be
worked out? You must clarify or else you'll run the chance of having a dissatisfied client.
2. Empathy: If everyone had the innate ability to automatically put themselves into someone else's shoes,
the world would be a better place. You don't have to agree with everyone, but you must be able to
understand why they feel like they do.
3. Diplomacy: You make good points, but if you look at it this way...
You must learn how to disagree in a way that makes the person feel that you're talking to not be
defensive.
4. Educating without arrogance: IT professionals have the perception that everyone is as technically
knowledgeable as they are. This can develop into an arrogance toward those people who don't. It's not
just about playing well with others. It's about developing communications styles that don't alienate the
very people you'll need to have in your corner when you want new initiatives to pass.

I am not a subject matter expert in communication but with close to 6 years of experience in managing
cross functional teams and constant interactions with professionals, I feel communication is the key to
leadership; be it any vertical of life.

References:
- https://www.techrepublic.com/blog/tech-decision-maker/the-7-most-important-communication-skills-an-it-leader-
should-have/
- https://www.bcforward.com/how-important-are-communication-skills-for-information-technology-jobs/