When creativity and innovation could position your organization to come out on top after a downturn, examine the capabilities and conditions that will enable you to support core resources and drive that success. Nimble organizations are characterized by sustained attention to speed and resilience. Collaboration and streamlined processes are necessary to achieve the agility that best serves customers. Rapid market and technology changes demand it. In essence, nimble organizations deliberately adopt the following behaviors:

Nurture innovation
Increase collaboration across the organization
Maximize employee engagement
Broaden employees’ skills
Lead with transparency
Exercise effective communication habits

One way to leverage people and time, thereby increasing nimble capabilities, is to take the opportunity to do a communication effectiveness reset. Every individual is unique, but there are some communication style preferences that are commonly found. If we want to achieve communication goals more quickly and easily, we can improve skills to accommodate basic communication styles. A communication reset involves:

• Enhancing understanding of basic communication styles
• Learning why valuing different styles is advantageous
• Learning how to purposefully and positively engage colleagues

An effective communication reset provides people with training and tools to accomplish current and future tasks with significantly improved ease and speed. This need not be over-complicated or time consuming, and is as obviously useful as learning how to use a map or GPS device. When we want to get to a particular destination on time, we employ tools to indicate the quickest route and prevent us from taking wrong turns. So, too, can we improve our ability to “tune in” to others so that we achieve our goals expeditiously. Performing a communication reset can help invigorate employees to get out of defensive “hunker down mode” and eliminate time wasting activities. Energized employees become more focused on contributing to the firm’s long term success.