Ever find yourself wondering why no one seems to ‘get it’?
Like you’re the only person who sees the issue, opportunity, topic with crystal clarity?
Like the plan of attack is mapped out perfectly, and the next steps are staring you right in the face?
I mean, you know these people. You’re in the same business, working toward the same goal. Most of the time you can finish each other’s sentences. And yet, sometimes, it’s like you’re from a different planet. You can’t help but wonder why everyone else around you is so St&*id.
Here’s the rub.
It’s not them. It’s you.
(Well…maybe it’s sometimes them or some of them, but it’s definitely also you).
It’s one of the biggest challenges for leaders. You’re in this seat in the first place because you have a 30,000 ft view of your world. You have a massive capacity for ‘getting’ a broad range of topics, outside your core area of expertise. Vision is your jam.
And this is where communication starts to break down.
In order to effectively communicate, you need to see your world through the eyes of your audience. You need to change your perspective (and maybe your attitude). How?
After you paint a picture of whatever bigger future you have in mind, whether it’s changing the world or improving a process, get curious. Pause to find out where they are.
Questions are your greatest tool.
Start with open-ended questions about the overall goal – where you’re headed, not how you plan to get there. Listen for the words they use. Are they positive, negative? Leaning forward or back?
- How do you see it?
- What do you hope to get out of it?
- How would you approach this? What are your first steps?
- Who do we need on board?
- Who is impacted?
- What are the challenges?
Help them dream a little:
- What’s possible if we do this?
- What if we had no obstacles?
- What’s your ideal role? Which jobs do you want to do?
I know we do this with big initiatives or new things, but it’s the day-to-day stuff that gets us into trouble. It’s where we make assumptions about what people know, or how they understand us. Best to take 5 or 10 minutes up front to gain clarity and alignment.
Otherwise…who’s the St&*id one?
(I can say this because I do this on the regular!)
Shout out to @JoshLevin. Thanks for the conversation on this very topic.
