The Hidden Constraints of Communication

What’s Holding Your Team Back?

Sometimes we take communication for granted. Imagine having to do your job without being able to actually tell people what you're working on!

This happened to me in a previous role. Due to some sensitive contract negotiations, I was tasked with developing a "duplicate" product completely under the radar. I had to fly to another city and work on this project in near-total secrecy.

Here's the catch - outside of a couple of people, no one knew what I was really doing. This became especially challenging because I had very little expertise in this particular domain, which meant I desperately needed help making decisions... yet I couldn't tell anyone why I was asking all these questions.

I found myself constantly reaching out to people for advice, but I had to position every question as either theoretical or part of some vague future initiative. "Hey, hypothetically speaking, if someone were to..." became my new favorite phrase.

I'm pretty sure the two or three people I talked to most frequently during this project either figured it out or knew enough to understand why their input was crucial. But maintaining that veil of secrecy while trying to gather critical information was mentally exhausting!

Think about your own work - what would it look like if you suddenly had to operate under strict secrecy constraints? How would you gather the information you need without revealing what you're actually working on?

But here's the real insight: we might already be dealing with invisible communication constraints every day. Maybe it's assumptions we make about shared knowledge, specialized jargon that excludes others, or organizational silos that prevent open dialogue.

Communication is challenging enough when we can be direct. Add in artificial constraints, and it becomes a complex dance of trying to get what you need while staying within boundaries you can't even mention.

What hidden communication constraints exist in your world? What assumptions or unspoken rules might be limiting effective collaboration in your organization?

Understanding the complexity of team communication is half the battle. Solving it is the other half. Let us help your team navigate these complexities with our LEGO-based sessions on communication, collaboration, and connection. Contact us today to learn more and see how we can transform your team's communication dynamics. Let's build a better team together!

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