Who Else Needs to Know

When you’re the boss, it’s easy to have a conversation with someone and then go about your day. When conversations end with you, so does team knowledge.

As the boss, you’re the chief communicator. And in a small business, most information runs through you.

• When a client texts a question and you respond, will your team be on the same page?
• When a vendor calls you to make a change and you agree, will your team be on the same page?
• When a team member notices an update is needed, who else needs to be looped in?

If you’re not filtering information and moving it forward, then it dies with you.

• This means your team doesn’t have context for a client decision, and the client will have to repeat themselves.
• This means your team will make a request twice from the vendor, which will confuse them and delay the project.
• This means lost time and wasted effort when the team has to double back on their work.

In the past, the biggest challenge was how to get information from point A to point B. Today, it’s how to get information from point A, B, C, or D to point E.

The more communication channels, the messier it gets. Here’s what I recommend:

1. Simplify your channels to the absolute minimum necessary. I don’t care what every platform or social strategist wants you to do. What’s best for your business?
2. Assign a purpose for each channel. What is the channel used for? What are the boundaries? Make sure everyone on the team understands the purpose and adheres.
3. Adhere to the boundaries and reroute people. If you and your team don’t, then you let chaos ensue. All the private messages get lost or left behind when company channels aren’t prioritized. It’s not a big deal in the moment until there’s turnover. I’ve seen it too often to be flexible on this.

Running a business isn’t just about surviving today, but about thriving in the future. Shortcuts chip away at the foundation.

What does this look like in practice?

Simplify Channels

I don’t use social media or my phone texts for business requests. It is redirected to my email, “Will you please send this to:….? It will get lost here.” You might be inclined to let them and then copy/paste it yourself to where it needs to go. The problem with that is it sets the expectation you will do that every time.

Often, we’re more concerned about being nice even if it comes at the cost of our well-being, a high-performing team, and exceptional service. This isn’t sustainable.

How you choose to respond shapes future behavior and expectations. If you’re clear and kind up front, it’s so much easier down the road.

Moving Information Forward

My rule of thumb is “put the information where the work lives”. Notion makes it easy for me to do that. I document and share information where the work lives. Where it’s easy for others to use when working through a process, relaying a message, or preparing for a meeting.

Regardless of who the conversation is with, any internal comments or questions about a client project live in the project file. This allows anyone on the team working on the project to see the same information. It also reduces email clutter.

Any questions about a client’s onboarding/offboarding live in the client file. Client files are separate from project files since a client may have more than one project. This keeps the project manager and admin on the same page for a smoother client experience.

Any updates to an internal workflow (policy, process, template, etc.) are completed in the document. The update is shared with the team via a Weekly Memo with a summary and a shortcut to the revised document. Again, ensuring everyone is on the same page. If there are questions, team members can insert a comment in the document. If it requires more in-depth discussion or a walk-through, then it’s added to the Team Meeting Agenda.

All client calls and meetings are documented and linked to the corresponding project file. If there is a new task, it is created and linked to the client and project file. There are no scraps of paper floating around that a team member can’t see, use, or execute on.

These practices might seem tedious at first, but they soon become a habit. When everyone on the team is in the habit of fully utilizing a knowledge management system, it makes everyone’s days run more smooth.

Remember, communication is the grease that keeps the wheels of your business moving forward. Who else needs to know what you discussed today?

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