Mindful Communication

Written by Eric Petersen, CIC

There has been a much needed trend in today’s society to focus on mindfulness in all that we do and the tree care industry is no exception. At the most recent TCIA Winter Management Conference, we had the privilege to learn from Pandit Dasa, a world renowned leader in mindfulness. Pandit talked about how leaders of tree care companies can use mindfulness to become more effective and grow stronger bonds within their team. 

While everything that Pandit discussed was helpful, the part that really resonated with me was when he dug into Mindful Communication. 

As a leader within your company, how you communicate with your team makes all of the difference in the world. We’ve discussed this topic in the past with an article on Intentional Communication by Kevin Martlage, but, since I truly believe this can be a game changer for your business, I want to offer Pandit’s spin on it as well. 

Pandit identified four areas to reflect on with your communication.  

• What you are saying.
• How you are saying it.
• The impact it will have on others.
• How the message will affect your relationships.

First off, words matter, now probably more than they ever have. A successful leader must choose the words he/she uses wisely, especially when using written communication (email or text). All too often the words that are used are taken out of context and instead of resolving a situation, create a bigger mess. Ensure the words that you are using to communicate a message can not be misconstrued or misinterpreted by the receiver. If you are not clearly articulating your point, try rephrasing so the receiver understands what you are actually trying to say. 

The tone of your voice and your body language go a long way in delivering the message to your team, which is especially true when done over the phone or on a video conference call. If there is an urgent message that needs to be delivered to your team, pick up the pace of your voice and add more urgency to the tone. Be engaged with your body language and give direct eye contact when speaking to your team. The tone of your voice and the body language will transcend the actual words you are saying if they all are not inline. You’ve probably had plenty of personal experiences to look back at when someone is saying one thing with their words and another thing with their body. This disconnect destroys effective communication. 

Before speaking or delivering your message, you need to pause and think about how the message that you are about to deliver will impact others and how it will affect your relationship with the receiver of the information. Many times as leaders of organizations, we are quick to point out where our team members failed and how they could’ve done a better job, without recognizing the positive aspects of the situation. Certainly, there are times for direct attention on the negative action, but when consistently done that way over a period of time, your message actually gets tuned out. Instead start with a positive comment about the situation and turn the focus on repeating more of the positive behavior versus only focusing on the negative. 

Remember, our team members look to us as leaders of the company to provide the encouragement and positive work environment that allows everyone to shine. If the leader is not mindfulness enough about how their communication is contributing to the work culture, chances are the communication is fostering negativity throughout the organization.

To dig into company culture and mindfulness communication more for your organization, please reach out to an ArboRisk team member today or take our free Company Culture Assessment to bring awareness to where your culture sits now.