The youngster in charge of a crew I had moving a ladder comes up to me and announces, “Chief, we got the ladder put up where you said to.” I trust him, but I should verify. I ask him to accompany me to where I asked him to have the ladder placed. As we get to the spot I wanted it in, I look around, but there’s no ladder there. “Where is it?” I ask the youngster, who gives me a confused look. “We put it over there,” he points to a totally different spot. “I said I wanted it here!” I reply a little perplexed. Now, we all know that communication is a key element of leading effectively. And if you analyze that story, you’ll find that there are two communication failures. The first failure is easy to notice. The assumption is that the youngster didn’t listen to me. Or at least not attentively enough to know exactly where I wanted that ladder placed. I remember being young. My mind ran at a lot faster speed than it does now. It ain’t old age! It’s the altitude! Anyway, in my zealousness, I was intent on getting a lot done, which meant that I didn’t listen as well as I should have. I was, often, in such a hurry to get things done that I didn’t do the right things nor did them the right way, because I wasn’t listening as I should have. The first failure was a followership issue. A good follower listens! The second failure is the leadership failure. We ALWAYS, or at least almost always, assume that what we said was heard and understood. Just a few minutes ago, Deb, my lovely bride of forty-eight wonderful and fulfilling years, sent me off to get some takeout. You may be wondering what that has to do with leadership. If you’re married, you know. As I finished placing my order, the voice emanating from the squawk box asked if I had a loyalty card and suggested I give the person at the window the number. I know we have one, but I wasn’t carrying it, so I called Deb to ask her for it. She reminded me that she’d told me that she would take care of it when I got home, just make sure to get the receipt. Here’s where she went wrong, not I! She assumed I’d heard her and understood what she’d told me. NOPE! If she told me, I was focused on something else, like finding my car keys. You ever listen to someone while you’re looking for your car keys? Ain’t happening! The leadership failure we often make is in thinking that what we said was, first, heard, then understood. That’s an honest assumption, but a communication failure, nonetheless. As George Bernard Shaw said, “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” If you’re ever to be an effective follower, which all effective leaders are, you have to listen, especially if you’re being given instructions. If you’re ever to be an effective leader, you have to ensure that what you say is heard and understood. Start with talking THEIR language. Not yours. Ask the listener if she/he understood and ask them to tell you what they heard. Now, do it in a kind and professional way. If you’re rude about it, they won’t listen to you at all. Yes, communication is critical for any team to succeed. Don’t assume anything. You know what it does to you and me!
Until next time, Be GREAT! You ARE!
HEIRPOWER!
bob vásquez!
