Sometimes I think we confuse what it means to communicate better. The subject is broad, so let me focus on only one aspect. Communicating better doesn’t necessarily mean communicating more often. It might mean that, but not always. If we have a message that we are trying to embed into someone else such that it moves them to some kind of action, then it is in our interest to find out how to do that in the best way. The not-best-way may mean the message gets lost, doesn’t land right, or is unclear. Then we have to try it again. So, how do we do it in the best way? Well, it’s always going to vary depending on who you are talking to, but one idea is to package the content with context. Meaning, instead of putting out the “what” and leaving it at that, we include the “why.” Why this new policy needed. Why we are now doing it this way instead of the old way. Why this stuff matters in the first place. Context puts the content into perspective. And, that perspective leads to understanding.
With your teams, don’t get out of the way, do this instead
"Get out of the way!" I often hear some version of this sentiment when talking about building a culture to incentivize high performance teams. "You have to find the right people, equip them, and then get out of the way." People who talk about getting out of the way...