The President's Corner. The Challenge to Innovate

The Human Element
By: Néstor Colombo

We live in a world today that is significantly smaller than that of generations before us. The ongoing process of globalization has been characterized by advanced forms of communication, greater access to information, and ease of travel. No doubt, the development of mass media communications has been and continues to be a central component of globalization; however the results and effects of this development, whether positive or negative, are difficult to measure. Although we boast a wealth of scientific, technological, and communicational innovation; a generation with an unprecedented potential for achievement; and governments with concentrated peace-making processes; we are still witness to (in both the developed and the developing worlds) social disintegration; growing levels of societal, political and cultural exclusion; greater ethnic and religious rivalries; exaggerated expressions of “nationalism”; and many other forms of intolerance. From this angle, if we examine the impact of communication technologies on people and cultures living within complex national and international situations, we can see that communication presents both limitless opportunities and tremendous dangers.

Let us consider the foundation of all communicative processes: verbal communication. Face-to-face, direct communication has a power without equal. Every civilization rests on the spoken word. The enormous importance of the spoken word is obvious in every culture, language, and socioeconomic stratum. This form of communication implies the presence of more than one person, because the only way it can be transmitted and received is through speakers and listeners. Verbal communication as a means for the exchange of ideas will continue to hold a central position even in our era of electronic medium. Statistics reveal that radio is situated as the medium valued above television and written press as the most effective means of communication. Radio takes off in its own dimension of “propinquity to people.” Radio is associated with immediacy, intimacy and the warmth of a personal encounter; in short, radio has the power of creating “relationship.” Just consider the popularity of programs such as “Delilah,” broadcast nationally to an enormous audience.

The written word, on the other hand, assumes the utter absence of a second party. No one can read or write in the presence of others without putting himself in an incommodious or rude situation. Both the written word and the writer are bound to isolation and personal retreat, that is to say, situating themselves outside of a “relationship.” The intrinsic nature of the written word is not found in the interpersonal. Interestingly enough, audio-visual communication, namely television, occupies an intermediate position in the relationship between the spoken and the written words. We know that television does not demand from us isolation or distance, as does the written word, neither does it contradict nor challenge the concept of relationship, and thereby it easily finds a place in our everyday world. Strangely enough, although we add a dimension of video, the visual image does not have the same impact as the actual presence of a person, nor does it hold the intimacy of the spoken word or the intensity of interpersonal communication.

Christian communications must be characterized by utmost human responsibility. As communicators, even though we possess tremendous God-given resources and a phenomenal vision to reach nations through mass communications, at times we still manage to lose “touch” with our own people. In the context of our work environments, companies, ministries, and organizations, even considering the many effective means of communication that we have at our disposal, we can still find ourselves losing grasp of our “relationships.”

There are certain outstanding characteristics that Christian leaders need possess if they desire to reach multitudes with the message: the ability to (1) establish “relationships”, (2) sustain immediacy, (3) effectively motivate, and (4) genuinely value their own people. I believe these are necessary conditions for effective team building, overall growth, and healthy competition. These are, indeed, heart qualities. Feigned relationships, respect, or appreciation produce disastrous results, the worst being a boomerang effect where the leader finds himself on the receiving end of contrived respect and insincere submission.

Leaders should “enjoy” their teams, share with them, permit them to grow, grant them the opportunity to actively participate, and listen to their points of view. This should especially be the case in small to medium sized organizations, where the director or owner has the potential to know each one of his employees by their first name, possibly many of them having partnered for the cause of the organization over a long period of time. A leader should take great care in the selection of his personnel, and then trust them. He should seek out those employees to whom he can freely delegate. A true leader directs delegates, empowers, and trusts others will meet the task.

Even though every tool for communication is immensely useful (memos, e-mail, voice mail, intranet, audio, video etc.) most people prefer to obtain information from a human being that manifests trust and openness to dialog. Personal communication, the spoken word, is always more powerful. If we make time to communicate and interact with our team, leaving behind our arrogance and attitudes, we have the potential to develop a powerful team. Do not forfeit your team. If you do not cultivate a relationship with them, sooner or later, they will leave in search of a better work environment. Your staff is your greatest asset; they add value to your organization. Others may copy your marketing strategy or your product, but your staff can never be cloned. Cultivate your relationship with them, and your organization, vision, and outreach will grow in yet another dimension.