Don’t Call It a Comeback
Communication. Administration. Integrity. Three core essentials that have existed since the dawn of civilization, but have seemingly been discarded to the attic with the Furbies and 8-tracks in our current world. However, these three realities need to be dusted off and brought back, because their underutilization and neglect appear to be having devastating effects worldwide:
Pumble reports the cost of poor communication in the workplace is estimated between $9,284 and well over $30,000 per employee annually.
63% of people looking to quit their jobs said poor communication and administration influenced their decision.
Stribe asserts that poor administration results in a staggering $8.8 trillion in lost production globally every year.
74% report eroded brand reputation due to poor communication.
Professionals cite miscommunication as the cause of losing customers to their competitors 16% to 25% of the time.
EY’s Global Integrity Report shows that more than one-third of respondents say they’d be willing to engage in unethical behavior, and nearly half say employees within their organization pose the greatest integrity risk over the next two years.
These findings are just a small sample of the overwhelming data currently pointing to a much larger problem. Across industries, companies, communities, and governments, the consequences of poor communication, weak administration, and compromised integrity are becoming difficult to ignore.
Projects stall, relationships fracture, customers leave, teams disband, trust erodes, and opportunities are lost—not because people lack talent, intelligence, resources, or ambition, but because the foundational tenets that sustain performance and preserve credibility have been seemingly ghosted.
While countless people, leaders, and businesses search for breakthrough strategies, innovative technologies, and the next competitive advantage, many of the challenges they face can often be traced back to these three core essentials. The evidence suggests that before we look for something new, we may need to rediscover what has worked all along.
Good communication fosters clarity that helps others understand us, the work we are responsible for, and what we are doing together.
Solid administration creates consistency and empowers the implementation of ideas and concepts, as well as the sustainability of processes and systems.
Integrity builds trust over time, giving us, our business, and our services an influential voice and the credibility to be in the room.
If we can’t administer or bring order to our lives and work, it becomes nearly impossible to determine priorities, execute well, avoid logjams, or communicate effectively. If we can’t communicate at even a functional level, it becomes difficult to get a point across, issue clear directives, complete tasks, respond consistently, or sell products. Integrity is predicated on both. Teams, friends, partners, clients, and co-workers find it difficult to have faith in, follow, be motivated by, and be positively impacted by someone who is disorganized and a poor, erratic communicator.
But when these three are aligned, performance rises, significant things get accomplished, teams get better, we make more money, we’re more beneficial to those we serve, and everyone is positively affected. Our word can be trusted; we can take on more responsibility and be reliable when called on to do important things that stand the test of time.
We can’t call it a comeback because the three core essentials have been around forever, trying to get everyone to pay attention to them. The problem is not that we have outgrown them; it may be that we have underestimated their profound ability to continue helping us show up, get the job done, flourish, and maintain credibility in the most vital areas of our lives and chosen professions.