Gone are the days of communication skills being relegated to "soft skills." On its way out is the business model where the bean counters lock themselves away until the annual meeting and jockey numbers all day. Gretchen captures the essence of what is required.

As a business coach, I advocated that starting with managerial level personnel, people must participate in an annual communication building activity. Then, they must practice and be scored on a 360-degree evaluation. What a difference they will experience in their unit performance and stress levels!

Thanks, Gretchen for your valuable reminders. MC

Thanks for the insightful article and comments. My coaching company is often called upon to train multi-generations working together, and it can be challenging. For this example, my research shows that the person most present, whether the owner, manager, must set the tone and boundaries in the first presentation, live or video. My Casting Call" hiring system has each prospect "audition" for the position. By doing that, you're able to test values and actual responses during the process. Be sure the hiring manager is the shining example of what is wanted as a model of the company! MC