THE TOOLKIT
Communication is contagious.

The last piece to this Code is that we affect, and in return, are affected by the people around us. Remember, we do not operate in a vacuum. Our behaviors help define us and create our organizational culture. I will commonly hear how people are the result of an uncollaborative culture or an ineffective communication climate. I tend to push back on them and say, “But we all create the culture in which we live and operate.” If you don’t believe me, try this. Walk into your next meeting five minutes late (please don’t say I told you to do this) with a stack of files or books. Sit down in a chair around the table and as you do, drop or slam your stack on the table. Finally, give a small but hearable sigh of frustrated relief. You don’t think you’re going to affect the climate in that room? A raised voice in a conversation tends to make people more reserved, a finger pointing in a person’s direction tends to create a bit of defensiveness, a gossip in the group tends to put everyone else on guard, and a computer thrown across the room in frustration will deter the team from problem-solving and usually cause a call into my office (once again, an example I am not creative enough to conjure up. I have actually had to tell someone that throwing a computer across the room is NOT a good thing. Common sense, huh?). You have an impact on how your group, team, department, and organization works together or doesn’t.