Two-Way Communication...

It was a busy week at Emergenetics International offices in Denver last week. We had Certification, which saw 12 new Associates learn the ins-and-outs of Emergenetics, and also held strategic planning meetings to look at all aspects of Emergenetics. Specifically, we focused on how to better serve our clients and more clearly connect in with every person who takes an Emergenetics Profile.

Connection is at the heart of everything we do. It is a simple concept, but one whose importance cannot be overstated; because with the constancy of information, connection is happening all the time...people see who you are as a company, a product, a person in a myriad of ways - through your brand, your materials, your website, in meetings, on the phone. The list goes on and on, but the point is that everything is a two-way communication. Marketing, customer service, management, etc., aren't dictated by one side anymore, because in this age, everyone has a voice. That is an incredible and powerful realization but it also points to a need to be more clear, more affective, and more responsive.

Really though...connection isn't an "if" but a "how". What is the best way to communicate, becuase one way surely does not fit all...communication is a two-way street, which means that you better know exactly how to reach the people you are communicating with.

It's a model that looks at the listener not the talker, because while cutting right to the chase and laying it out straight works perfectly for an Analytically preferenced thinker who is on directive end of the Assertiveness Spectrum, that won't cut it for someone with a lot of Red (Social) in their brain. It isn't a new concept, but it is a more exact, clear way to view relationships and communication.

When you combine the principle of two-way communication with the clarity and exactitude of Emergenetics, you get a more holistic and understandable message. So how do you get this in the real-world? It starts with knowing how people think and behave and it continues with real, true work to ensure that those preferences and strengths are being considered in all facets of communication and the relationship.

We've got new products like the Tip Sheets that give you a foundation, but it comes down to a new way of approaching communication...and it's one that is a necessary element to today's world.

There is a burgeoning trend that I see, from diverse sources covering an even greater diversity of industries and disciplines - and that trend is to cultivate people power in a new way. Companies are focusing on everything from finance to product innovation and creativity to efficiency via the human model.

This emphasis is indicative of what I think needs to happen in business as a whole...that of emphasizing people development in all facets. We see this impact via our training and how we work with our clients, but it is an idea that is being advanced by a growing number of companies (beyond normal training and development measures or marketing-speak like "our most valuable assets") to yield compelling results...take a look at these stats.

•A recent survey by Bersin and Associates, found that coaching ranks at the top of the 22 processes that consistently drive the highest business impact. The analysis confirmed that coaching generated higher levels of engagement, leadership, flexibility and performance.

•Firms with the highest percentage of engaged employees collectively increased operating income 19% and earnings per share 28% year over year. (Towers Perrin)

What does this tell you?

It tells me that it has never been more important to capitalize on the way people communicate with one another and work together.

It tells me that engaged, committed employees and leaders create more solid and profitable organizations.

And…It tells me that there new paradigms in viewing financial success—it’s not always simply about the bottom line. Or, more accurately stated, the bottom line has expanded…an organization’s workforce is now integral to the way the bottom line works.