How to Cure Communication Deprivation Syndrome

4 min readNov 21, 2019

Communication Deprivation — Patient Zero

The author, entrepreneur, and motivational speaker Jim Rohn once said: “What’s easy to do is easier not to do.” Nowhere is this truer than in the fragile realm of employer/employee communication.

Difficult conversations are a part of the business regardless of what the business is. The boss has to tell the employee when their job performance is sub-par. The worker has to tell the executive why the project’s behind the deadline. No one enjoys these conversations but, “the truth hurts” as they say, but in order for any company to run efficiently, they have to happen.

The keyword, there, is “efficiently”.

Technically, that communication could just be avoided altogether. No tough conversations. No hard feelings. No immediate risk. By shying away from these situations, we protect ourselves from the fear, anger, and other negative emotions that could arise.

But only temporarily.

Communication Deprivation — The Disease

While we may have solved the “I could feel bad about this” issue we’ve done absolutely nothing to solve the root problem that caused it. “Out of sight, out of mind” doesn’t mean out of existence… the question, problem, or opportunity we failed to address will be there waiting until time is no longer on our side.

By avoiding conversation, we put a band-aid on our emotional cut allowing the actual injury to get infected.

Communication Deprivation — The Symptoms

Just as with any other injury, disease, or disorder, the longer the problem is ignored (and communication about it is deprived) the worse it becomes.

As time passes so do the opportunities to resolve the concern. While they may not be perfect remedies, they could be the best that will become available.

As we’re ignoring the problem, futilely hoping it just goes away, we’re also missing the possible solutions. Whether we like it or not, our “out of sight, out of mind” mentality isn’t restricted to just the problem. It spills out and infects everything around it.

That includes what may have turned out to be remedies had we only been looked for them.

So what is the actual cure for Communication Deprivation?

Simple. It’s communication.

Communication Deprivation — The Cure

Naval Ravikant is known throughout Silicon Valley as the “Angel Philosopher”. The highly successful co-founder of AngelList has started and/or invested in over 100 companies including Twitter and Uber. He now shares his entrepreneurial philosophies across the digital landscape through social media and podcasts.

One of Naval’s many pieces of insightful advice is to “Play long-term games with long-term people”. The reason this is critical, according to Naval, is that key aspects of business relationships, such as trust and integrity, compound like interest. The relationship grows exponentially with experience but only when those experiences result in trust.

And what’s the only way to build trust? Communication.

Open, honest, timely communication is the cure for more relationship problems than we would like to admit. This communication, though sometimes painful, is the only way to solve both immediate concerns and to grow trust, respect, and understanding… the pillars of every relationship.

Communication After-Care

The initial fear of addressing a touchy subject, especially in a business setting, can feel immense. It’s extremely tempting to ignore the issue and hope that “it just goes away”. In truth, ignoring problems never solves them.

If anything, the concern only grows bigger and stronger with time.

Additionally, by avoiding communication, possible solutions can be overlooked. When our focus is on avoiding the illness we indirectly avoid the cure as well.

The ideal plan of action is to simply face the challenge head-on and talk about it. However awkward, uncomfortable, or painful it may seem, it’s in everyone’s best interest to address whatever needs to be addressed.

About the Company:

Peterson Technology Partners (PTP) has been Chicagoland’s premiere I.T. staffing, consulting, and recruiting firm for over 20+ years. Named after Chicago’s historic Peterson Avenue, PTP has built its reputation by developing lasting relationships, leading digital transformation, and inspiring technical innovation throughout Chicagoland. Now based in Park Ridge, IL, PTP’s 250+ employees have narrowed their focus to a single market (Chicago) and 4 core technical areas;

Application/mobile/web development and eCommerce
Data science/analytics/business intelligence/artificial intelligence
Information security/cybersecurity and
ERP SAP/Oracle and project management/BA/QA

PTP exists to ensure that all of our partners (clients and candidates alike) make the best hiring and career decisions.

Originally published at ptechpartners.com