Page 162 - The McKinsey Mind

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ManagingYour Team 137

COMMUNICATION

Communication is one of the most important elements of effective
team management. Teams can’t function without it, yet its impor-
tance is often underestimated. There is no one best communication
style, however, so in this section we explore a few general commu-
nication rules that should help as you develop your portfolio of
communication skills.

THE McKINSEY WAY
At McKinsey the importance of communication was expressed by
this principle: keep the information flowing.
Keep the information flowing. Information is power. Unlike
other resources, information can actually increase in value as it is
shared, to the benefit of everyone on your team. For your team to
succeed, you have to keep the information flowing. You don’t want
someone to make a bad decision or say the wrong thing to a client
just because he’s out of the loop.
Teams communicate mainly through messages and meetings.
Both should be kept brief and focused. In addition, remember the
unscientific but powerful art of learning by walking around—ran-
dom meetings to connect with team members outside of scheduled
meetings.

LESSONS LEARNED AND IMPLEMENTATION
ILLUSTRATIONS
All organizations develop a “communication culture” that governs
the type and frequency of internal communication, and McKinsey
is no exception. In most conversations at McKinsey, there are cer-
tain words and phrases you can expect to hear (“at the end of the