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What conversations are happening within your enterprise, about your enterprise? Chances are good their content are either enabling or unhinging your success.

Most people when describing their organization will talk about where it is, what it does, who works there, the results the organization has or and what the name is. At Insigniam, our premise is that an organization is comprised of a network of conversations and that you can alter the results of your organization by altering that network of conversations.

What conversations are taking place in your organization? This isn’t something we typically pay attention to in assessing the barriers to performance and yet we are saying it is THE key to performance.

Here are some common conversations that limit performance:

• Gossip, which we define as a negative conversation about another when they aren’t in the room.
• Complaining to someone who can’t do anything about the issue.
• Finger pointing or blaming others.
• Asks that aren’t clear and specific.

Take one day and observe how often you and others in your organization participate in these types of conversations, the findings can be very eye opening.

One by one, begin to replace those limiting conversations with ones these conversations:

• Taking complaints to someone who can do something about the problem
• Ones that illuminate how you and your team could have done better, what your responsibility is in the matter.
• Action based conversations: people making clear promises and requests to and of others and delivering on them.
• Fact based vs. filled with interpretations
• Curiosity conversations where people ask questions and authentically listen for what they can learn from each other

These are all conversations that build stronger relationships between and among teams, eliminate time wasting delays in action and allow for new and different ideas to be shared. All of which enhance the success of any organization.
What conversations are you having at work? Do they enable or unhinge your own success?