Thoughts on communication in tech: lessons learned from flying

Let's spiral dive into a topic I think is important to success for any organization: fostering open communication within your tech team. Because let's face it: without clear communication, we might as well be sending smoke and light signals, leaving it to the observer to guess what the heck you're trying to communication with 3 short bursts of white smoke followed by 6 flashes of rainbow lights!

Especially in a startup environment, there is already a lot of ambiguity without adding even more ambiguity through misaligned and fuzzy communication.

In the ever-evolving landscape of technology, where our work can feel like a race against time (especially in a startup envinronment), having good timely and transparent communication becomes the jet fuel propelling your team to success. Trust me; I've seen the impact firsthand of having good and bad communication practices.

The Power of Transparency

Imagine your team as a well-synchronized squadron of planes. Now, picture each plane having a clear communication system – no radio static, no misinterpretation of instructions (you might also need a map and functioning navigation instruments, but let's not get lost in the dails). Transparent communication, clear SOPs (aligned with expectations and culture) and a clear mission is the secret sauce that keeps your squadron flying in formation and not doing mid-flight colisions and crashes.

For those I had the privilege to work with, you may have heard me saying things like "it all starts with the clarity of the vision, and how people connect it to their work on a day to day basis", "if you don't understand why you do something, stop and ask yourself and your colleagues if it's worth doing", "the goals and expectations should always be crystal clear, there should be no surprise at that level" and "leaders should be predictable and constant in their reactions and how they tackle problems".

Clear and transparent communication around the vision, the missions, the strategy, the expectations and the goals is important, as it creates a sense of unity, where everyone feel not just part of a team, but part of a well functioning, predictable machine. How can a team succeed if they're not sure where they're going, and what are their actual contribution into getting to destination? How can a team succeed, if they don't know what you expect, if you keep changing what you expect or if you react differently from time to time?

Without a transparent communication you end up with teams doing constant nav checks and, ultimately, declaring a "Pan Pan, Pan Pan, Pan Pan" and asking for help finding their way even if you answered every singe one of those nav checks. As a leader, those situations are going to take a lot of your time but were totally preventable in the first place.

Something I like doing is to have a quarterly take off (kick off) where we make sure every leader is aligned on what needs to be achieved during the that period and use that session to complete some pre-flight checks. Do we have the right understanding of the mission, the right information, the right business justification, the right skills, the right technology? It is super important to give them autonomy and empower them, as well as enable them to explain the plan to the team and connect their work to the flight plan.

Then, during the quarter, I like to have some position (progress) reports to make sure we're on track, that we're not lost, that we didn't encountered too strong of a headwind, that have enough fuel left, etc. It helps finishing the quarter with a smooth landing (at the right airport an not in a farmer's field in the middle of nowhere). An important note is that we should always complete post-landing checks, as it helps making everyone feel proud of their achievements and holding us accountable of ensuring a successful flight.

Clear communication and goals (that don't change all the time...) will also remove any need to micro-manage and lead to more autonomous and happier teams. Leaders should aim at setting the auto-pilot to fly the right route, and not operate every single system themselves at any given time.

AI as Your Co-Pilot in Communication

Now, let's talk a bit about AI. It's not just for predicting the weather (one could argue that it actually awful at predicting weather); it can help with team communication as well. AI-powered tools can analyze communication patterns, identify potential bottlenecks, and suggest strategies for improvement. It can help you organize you thoughts and articulate a vision that will actually understood by everyone in your organization, giving you an edge on team alignment and performance and a better reaction time to issues when they happens.

Also, consider implementing real time AI-driven sentiment analysis on team communications instead of relying on a quarterly "sentiment survey". Are there signs of frustration? Is there a need for clarification? AI can help you navigate these turbulent air pockets and ensure a smoother flight for your team. Let's not dive into that for now, as it could be a whole post it itself, but how are you integrating AI in your team communication?

Let's make our work environment a place where ideas flow freely, where collaboration is as smooth as a well-executed barrel roll. After all, in the world of tech, the only way to fly is together, always reaching higher altitude and better tailwinds.

Stay communicative, stay collaborative, and most importantly, stay airborne! ???

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