People say that communication is the key to a healthy relationship, and I can say with absolute certainty, it is key to successful government and contractor relationships. Several weeks ago, I started this blog series based on building a good reputation with your government customers. A key area I highlighted in that post was that your reputation follows you around the government and if you end up with a bad one, it is hard to recover from. One of the reasons that those relationships break down is due to poor communication. Poor communication could mean anything from lack of communication to hostile communication. Whatever the reason, executing a government contract requires up front, honest, and respectful feedback from both parties. It’s important to note that you can only control how you communicate and not how your government customer communicates in return. So even if you find yourself in a situation where you feel communication on their side is unsatisfactory, continue to stay respectful and cordial.
In my opinion, the three key pieces of communication to help improve, strengthen, and maintain your government relationships are:
- Communicate early.
- Communicate often.
- Communicate clearly.
No one likes to be surprised with bad information. If there is a known problem arising such as a schedule slip, struggles with software development, vendor problems, or money problems, it is in your best interest to communicate that to the government early on in discovery of that problem. I’d like to repeat that. If you know there is a problem, communicate that to your government customer as early as you can. Waiting to communicate doesn’t make bad news better. Even if you can fix the problem with no adverse effects to your customer, let them know there is a problem and you’re fixing it. By communicating this way, you do several things. First, you give the government an opportunity to offer their assistance. There may not always be assistance to give but more often than not, they would like to help. Second, it builds trust. By communicating early, you aren’t trying to hide anything or make things seem better than they are, and you aren’t trying to quickly fix a problem hoping no one finds out about it later (because guess what? The government always finds out.).
In the same vein as communicating early is communicating often. Do you need to talk to your government POC every day? Probably not. But as it is relevant to give status updates on progress, problems and solutions, or questions, do it. Keeping communication lines open for easy, frequent, and informal communication continues to build trust in both parties. It is worth mentioning that some communication requires formal written notifications per the contract and you must send those letters. However, formal communication should ALWAYS be preceded by an informal “heads up” conversation with your government PM or contracting officer.
Last, clear and concise communication is an art form and I applaud those that have a knack for articulating themselves perfectly on paper. I’m not saying that you must have an English major to communicate with your government customer. What I am saying however, is to think before you speak or write. If you’re asked a question, make sure you address that question. Don’t respond with everything but addressing the question. If you’re relaying information, make sure it’s relevant information. Remember from the last blog, the information you need and care about is most likely different from the information the government needs or cares about.
Communication seems so simple, but it is repeatedly something that frustrated me as a government employee and it continues to frustrate me as a consultant. People assume that e-mails are read, meetings minutes are passed, and documents are shared and read amongst their own team. Communication breakdowns occur when those things don’t happen and people hold onto information. These are simple tasks that can help make sure everyone is on the same page and that applies outside your internal teams as well. By communicating early, often, and clearly with your government customer, you’re building a relationship of trust and cooperation, and those two things will go a long way to building a good relationship.
I’d love to hear your communication failures and successes, so leave a comment!
Keep Moving Forward,
