If you’ve ever watched any of the Charlie Brown features on television, you know that adults are never seen and when heard, they make unintelligible noises somewhere in the range of a sick elephant or me attempting to play the trombone. (Click here if you are not familiar with adult-speak on Charlie Brown, or imagine, “Wah, wa wa wah, wa wa.”)
Sadly, that’s what many in positions of authority sound like when attempting to communicate with subordinates.
Instead of offering clear, direct responses, many hide behind the language of management-speak or executive-speak, which is to everyone else’s ears and minds, gobbeldy-gook. (That’s the polite term.)
Consider these Communication Gems:
The senior leader who always tells people what he perceives they want to hear at the moment.
“Wah, wa wa wa, Wah wa wa.”
The manager who delivers an annual performance evaluation in a two-minute phone call.
Did I just imagine that conversation?
The senior leader who responds to a hard question with, “That’s an important topic, and we should talk about it at the right time.”
Every person on her team knew that it would never be the right time.
The executive who presents a new strategy as a fait accompli and something to be carried forward and pursued with vigor to team members who don’t understand it weren’t consulted, and haven’t had time to think about it.
You could see the collective, “Huh?” on the faces of the employees.
The top executive who indicates after sharing bad results for the third quarter in a row, “There will be no layoffs.”
There were layoffs coming, and everyone knew it.
While not one to cast stones since I live from time to time in a glass house, I once offered an answer to“What’s our strategy?” that was followed up by the person who asked it with, “I have no idea what you just said.”
Apparently, I had uttered: “Wah, wa wa wa, Wah, wa wa,” with extreme confidence, I might add.
Ouch. And I’m glad he called me on it. I still feel the sting of embarrassment from this incident many years later, and I use it as a regular reminder to focus on the needs of my audience.
I also remember to ask questions and gauge what it is people are hearing when I’m talking.
This is an important issue, and now is always the right time to strive to get it right.
Sidebar: 100% of my coaching work involves helping executives communicate effectively in challenging circumstances. Some of it involves helping executives communicate effectively in any situation.
Sidebar II: 100% of strategy execution problems have communication problems at or near the root cause.
Sidebar III: 100% of poor performing project teams have communication problems at the core of their challenges.
The Bottom-Line for Now:
What are they hearing when you’re talking? If you’re not careful, it’s likely to be “Wah wa wa wa, wah wa.” Let’s reserve those sounds for off-camera cartoon characters.
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I really enjoy your content. Keep up the great work!
I think you meant “hearing” not “wearing” in the paragraph: “I also remember to ask questions and gauge what it is people are wearing when I’m talking”
Hi Kendall! Thanks for the note, kind words and correction! It did make for a funny sentence, but you are indeed correct. Cheers, -Art