Three Obstacles to a Good Outcome
Mary Rogers just got fired and is trying to figure out why.
No specific reason was given, only that they were cutting back on staff due to having to tighten their belts …along with a vague statement about her position not turning out to be as relevant as they thought it would be.
Hmm…interesting, she thought. ‘Joanna Styles who works in her area is still there and her pay grade is higher than mine.’ This left her wondering what was really going on with regard to her position and the good job she thought she was doing.
Then she started to wonder…was it really a ‘good job’ or just ‘adequate.’
This situation can be disconcerting to anyone who has been through it or has witnessed it happening to others who they thought didn’t deserve it. And there’s a long list of reasons people give for why this can happen to someone who seems to be doing a good job.
Among the many reasons given – some are surface – and others are very valid in their own right…such as ‘lack of training’, which probably heads the top of the list. But this teaching moment is not about the need for more effective training in the work place, it’s about something even more basic. Something that underpins all of the obvious reasons, and gets to the heart of why things don’t lead to a good outcome, or the results one anticipated.
And this ‘something’ is often not recognized at first glance as it resembles those things that are said to be ‘hiding in plain sight.’ We see them…but we don’t really see them. Meaning we only see the surface but don’t look closely enough to see the underpinning of what’s wrong.
The real reasons are usually connected to just three words: Understanding, Intention and Communication
While simple on the surface, these three words pack a wallop when it comes to effective outcomes that managers and CEO’s love!
If you’ve ever been a boss or manager and asked someone to do something and just assumed it would be done but discovered later it wasn’t, you know how the word assumption can play into things like deadlines, due dates, targets, agreements – large or small.
Yes, if someone has been hired and trained, we should be able to assume that they know their job and care enough to do the best job possible. But even while voicing that they care, and being capable of doing the job …it is still possible to fail.
Targets, deadlines
Interestingly enough, it is often the smaller targets being missed, that can undermine a company’s goals from being achieved. Some may reason that these are just smaller administrative details that aren’t powerful enough (in and of themselves) to make or break a company, so what’s the big deal…
‘So I missed my target this month, I’ve still got lots of time to make my six month bonus” they rationalize. And this is true if he/she discovers why they missed their monthly target – and adjust their activities to handle the reasons found.
A very large company can absorb mistakes, and even a lack of production among certain staff for a much longer period of time before the home office notices a statistic plunging downward. In a smaller operation however, those missed deadlines can make the difference between a good week and bad week in terms of product delivered and monthly income. This is not only hard on the CEO but can mean no bonuses that month or future raises possible. As the cumulative actions – good or bad – show up quickly in a smaller operation.
If you’ve been trying figure out how understanding, communication and intention apply to the above…below is the scoop – as these tie into almost every area of an organization, large or small.
Understanding
Understanding in a business means that you understand anything written or spoken connected to your job from anyone on your team or those connected to the business. And that if you don’t understand a memo or task given that you find out what you’ve missed or what a manager meant when he said ‘please do X,Y and Z…’ For clarification can save you!
It also means understanding your job training, to the point of being able to apply it to the job.
It also means understanding any and all job training you’ve received. For studies have shown that words or technical terms not understood can leave blank spots in the persons mind and general awareness. And that these blank spots can cause them to back off from wanting to learn certain areas of the job, as those areas of non-comprehension can lower his ability to face new challenges or perform as needed. It can even lead to the fear of being promoted, as they know the new position means taking on more responsibility and they fear that the learning curve for the job might be too high.
So don’t be afraid of tackling any area of the job that’s not totally clear to you, or to go back to any training materials to make sure you didn’t miss anything; as conquering any weak spots – things that you glossed over – will bolster your confidence once you better understand them. As your future advancement may depend on you being able read and understand your industry’s terminology and how it applies to your job.
“Clearly written orders, requests, instructions or procedures’ can make the difference between a person comprehending what’s needed …or feeling like he or she is operating in the dark on certain areas. And those small pockets of confusion about product delivery or admin systems, etc., can create outcomes for the person that are sketchy at best. So the best teammates will make sure that they fully understand their job, and will not be afraid to get things clarified when needed, whether its the organization chart and people’s positions in the company, or what the boss and his teammates expect of him. For no matter how many positions one has held in the past, each new company and position represents new procedures and ways of operating for that particular team.
Communication
As a comic once said…’people think just because their mouth is open and words come out that they’re communicating…’ What a sharp observation! (spoiler alert: talking at someone is not the same as talking to someone.)
How many times have we said something to someone only to have it ignored… How many times have we said something to someone only to have its meaning altered … And how many times have we written an email, report or time-related document to someone, only to discover later that it was never read, so never acted on.
You may understand a task given but fail to follow thru on it in a timely manner. This may disappoint or annoy a manager if the nature of the task affects his job too. And the fact that you misunderstood the target date the task was to be done by…doesn’t lesson the managers disappointment.
The basics of communication
A real communication assumes that there is someone there listening and receiving the communication sent, whether verbal or written. If in person, we can see that there’s a body there…so we assume that this person has heard and understands what was said.
If we’re speaking on the phone we assume the person is listening to us, and therefore must understand what is being said. If the communication is in writing, we assume that the document has been received and will be answered as soon as the person is able to do so.
These are a lot of assumptions; let’s see if they are warranted …
What are the basics of communication? The things that make it work…?
Imagine a stick figure we’ll call person A. And the she is facing another stick figure we’ll call person B.
A is looking at B and says something to him. Now in order for person B to answer person A – he must not only be there in body, but in mind also. That is to say…he must have his attention on person A, be listening to her and be comprehending.
Seems simple enough. But what if person B is distracted, or not really interested in what person A has to say…then what?
Well you know the answer: person B is not going to reply…or if he does, it will not be appropriate and will show a lack of comprehension of what was said. This is not communication as there was no one there actually receiving it.
I’m sure you can recall situations where this has occurred at work and how frustrating it was when the information given was important not only to your job but to theirs too. For in order to have a true team, communication must be understood by all participants.
Lets say person that person B may not be fully listening; may be very busy, or late on making a deadline. Whatever the reason..we just don’t have his or her full attention.
The first step to any successful dialog is to make sure the person we’re speaking to is really there, and able to receive the communication. And is interested in understanding other peoples communication.
If a boss or manager – observing the best time to speak to them helps a lot, along with finding out what form they like to receive the communication: such as in writing, after 4pm in person, a text telling them there’s a document in their in box, etc,etc.,…as this shows respect for the managers time and he/she will appreciate this consideration, and you have more success with them.
But no matter the situation, the first step is to get the other persons attention, and make sure they are willing to talk if verbal communication is needed. If its email, they must be willing to receive and send emails in a timely manner so that people can do their jobs. As waiting for an email that doesn’t arrive slows down everyone. So willingness is a very big part of the equation. Some people appear to be polite and listening…but technically their attention is elsewhere. Some people may pay attention to staying on top of their emails, not only because its part of their job, but because they know how good it feels to be on top of all their email traffic. As they don’t want a backlog that leaves them feeling frustrated !
But you say… I’m the boss, or I’m their manager…so they have to pay attention to me when I speak to them. Yes, if they care about their job they should pay attention and respond appropriately. But remember the above point about ‘willingness’ being a part of the equation?
Willingness
Willingness will always play into the subject of communication whether with new, seasoned staff or managers. Just because someone is a manager doesn’t mean that people are really paying attention 100% of the time or responding with complete comprehension. If not sure that someone is paying full attention, remember that specific questions asked can help reveal how engaged they are. Or cause them to be more engaged.
A good business owner knows that really good staff are not easy to find. And that besides the paycheck, the only other thing that is keeping them there is their ‘willingness’ to work. Willingness being one of those bedrock qualities that determine high productivity and longevity. For when you lose that, you’ve not only lost their attention, but the staff member himself. So the smart CEO or manager know that there must be willingness on both sides…and that the people they hire care about understanding one another. For this is a two sided coin, where responsibility must be on both sides, for any real communication to succeed.
Intention
The dictionary defines intention as: a purpose, goal, aim or object; a will, wish, or aspiration; that which is intended. As a verb: to intend. “direct one’s attention to, pay attention to, give heed.
One can see at once that without the intention for the communication to arrive and be understood – that success is greatly diminished. If one looks at successful people in business or in life, you will note a strong intention or sense of purpose in the people who succeed.
Have you ever noticed that when you really wanted something to occur, that your desire to have it happen had the full weight of your intention behind it? That you didn’t just wish it, or hope it. That you intended it to happen…and it did.
It’s not about force or pressure. Pure intention has no strain or effort in it.. its just a decision that something will occur. Done when one is in a good mood, these moments of pure intention seem to manifest even more easily. Its simply doing what’s appropriate in that moment and putting ones intention behind it.
Not only does intention help you improve your communication at work, but it allows you to have a better chance of achieving your career goals in the long term.
For in order to to have work goals succeed – one must first intend that short term goals are met, that they’re also helping the companies goals succeed, and have a strong desire to turn out quality products and outcomes of their own in a timely manner. This being done, you will see managers or business owners smiling when they think of you..:) as they know that you are someone they can count on.
Time
People get concerned about time, saying they never have enough of it, and sometimes use this as an excuse for not following through on certain tasks. But here again, one’s intention comes into play. Do they really want to finish that project on time or would they rather drag their feet and spend ‘time’ complaining about it and then blame someone else if they fail to reach the deadline.
Those who seem to get a lot done and still have time to enjoy life are usually the ones who work with strong intention, use their time wisely, and play the game of ‘how much can I actually get done today …or this week, and still make it to the ball game on Friday…’ Yes one can be terribly serious about it all…but the sheer weight of the seriousness can cause the time line to crash in on you …before you even get started. (More on seriousness and success in a follow up post.)
The one’s who succeed usually make it a kind of game of ‘tasks and time’ – and eventually come to see that they are literally creating more time – simply by completing as many tasks as they can in a day or week.
How do they do this? Well they usually have a ‘to do’ list that they intend to complete. And by doing so…lo and behold they find that they end up with ‘extra time’ at the end of the week…:) At root, they know that the ball game is a reward for a job well done, so in order to really enjoy it, they want to warrant the reward.
In truth its actually ‘creating more time’ by completing more jobs with no delays. How can this be? Sounds like something out of physics or quantum mechanics: ‘creating more time’. Is it magical? No, just intention.
What did Buddha, the Enlightened teacher say about intention?
Intention shapes our actions and ultimately our destiny.
Understanding, Communication & Intention help you win more and fail less, which leads to you reaching your ultimate goals.
