The Dance of Egos

I was having a conversation over dinner with a frustrated middle manager, who was recounting the most recent lack of communication in her organization. She was telling the story of yet another direction-less mandate that her and her team were left to follow…a rabbit hole that didn’t solve a problem, address an initiative, or move a project forward. Sound familiar?

Sometimes we are the one in charge and sometimes not so much. The difficulty is still the same. When I provide a communication to others, does it answer a question, address a concern, solve a problem, or provide direction to move an initiative forward?  If the answer to all of these questions is ‘no’, then pause to consider how you can craft the communication differently. Why? Because you likely have a group of people watching, listening, and waiting for you to share something with them. AND, they are aware you are the boss, they are not, and the dance of egos begins.

If you are the person waiting on the communication, much like my dinner companion, what questions can you ask to guide your leader to offer answers, without stepping into the quagmire of titled leadership and authority? Keep a quick list ready: (a) what is your timeline for this?; (b) how does this affect our desired outcome?; (c) how does this align with our stated goals/initiative?

There’s three quick questions and so many more available.  If this is where you are stuck, and you want to brainstorm solutions, I’m offering the first 5 people who respond to this post a free 30 minute coaching session. That’s how invested I am in growing communication skills.  How invested are you?  Join Elevate Your Professional Presence starting January 25^th to focus on your leadership skills.