Some of my clients complain that their employees don’t do what is expected of them, and then ask for my help in search of the silver bullet.

The first question I ask is how they communicated the assignment. Usually this is the only necessary question, because typically the dialogue – whether spoken or written – between the manager and the employee was ineffective.

I’ve written about “managing by telepathy” before, and this is a great example of this problem. Many leaders assume they have said things that are not transparent.

You need to be clear in how you convey your request and make sure the person or team understands what you want, when you want it, and how you want it done.

You may wonder why people don’t ask for clarification if they don’t understand your directions. There are many reasons, but here are two. Your people (1) may be slightly intimidated by you, or (2) feel that you will think that they’re not capable if they ask for clarification, especially if you have a forceful or direct communication style.

Think about this from the perspective of the person receiving your communication and alter your approach accordingly.

It’s important for you to master clear communication. If you don’t, not only will the assigned work not be completed as you expect, but both you and the employee will be frustrated because of poor communication.

As the leader, it’s your responsibility to manage the communication channel and fix what isn’t working. You may want to start by examining how you convey information and see how you can improve. Then you can work with the employee to collaboratively improve your communication.

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”
– George Bernard Shaw

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