Someone once said that the art of communication is the language of leadership. The political events of the Autumn highlighted this very well, I think. First, the Government made important decisions without properly consulting its key stakeholders and advisors. Then there was the consternation that those at the top of the chain appeared to be looked after, whilst those down below were struggling to make ends meet. Whatever you think about the validity of the policies, the fact is that, on any level you care to examine, the communication was abysmal. And of course, for many people, it also spoke volumes about the culture in the senior ranks of Westminster. How could such disunity and disagreement bode well for the country as a whole? Embarrassingly, the whole sorry episode reeked of mismanagement and extremely poor communication, something which, I’m afraid to say, is also evident amongst other companies, organisations, and public services.
I wholeheartedly agree with the quote about communication. In fact, I’d go further and say that 95% of the world’s problems are caused by poor communication. His Majesty’s Opposition was quick to point out the dire economic consequences for the nation of what they labelled as the Government’s thoughtless actions and messaging, and yet again it caused me to reflect on the duty we have in the cleaning industry to keep a steady hand on the tiller and be mindful of the welfare of our employees, many of whom right now are deeply worried about just surviving the Winter.
At DOC we recently welcomed a new senior appointment, who was kind enough to compliment us on the way our company is set up to ensure that things happen properly and that everyone understands what they’re supposed to be doing. We’re not the only cleaning contractor trying to do things the right way, of course. Yet, in our highly labour-intensive industry, which relies on thousands of staff to follow detailed specifications, instructions, and rules every day, it is frightening to think what would happen if management were not on the ball and did not communicate effectively. In industries with huge numbers of people, you can’t rely on micromanagement to get things done. The culture of doing things the right way needs to be hard wired throughout the organisation and must come from the top. It must be about senior staff taking responsibility for ensuring proper systems are in place to communicate goals and objectives and not blaming those at the front line when things go wrong. For all its problems, I often think the NHS relies on this philosophy. Staff get on with the job because they know the right thing to do – even if they sometimes aren’t given the resources they need to carry out their tasks.
As 2023 approaches, I challenge those lucky enough to work in the upper echelons of organisations across the country to ensure that they manage fairly, efficiently, and effectively and communicate clearly and concisely. The willingness to implement these basic requirements is, in essence, the difference between organisations that perform well and those that don’t. I have every hope that next year will herald a return to positive messaging, an economy heading back towards equilibrium, a sense of the nation pulling together again and the prospect, in our great industry, of stability replacing what has felt like another year of rather unsettling turbulence.
Merry Christmas One and All!
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About the contributor
Lee Andrews
CEO
DOC Cleaning