A few weeks ago I had the privilege of conducting a workshop down in Farmville for Longwood University MBA students on creativity and innovation as it impacts change in business. These students are only on campus together a few times during the school year. The rest of the time their classes are conducted online.
At the end of the class I asked if there were any questions. One student, a public school teacher, raised his hand and said, “You’re saying there should be a reason for change. We shouldn’t just change for change sake.” I replied, “Yes.”
He continued, “In my school system, there doesn’t appear to be a rationale for the changes we’re being directed to execute.” He then went on to ask, “How do we deal with that?”
You’d be surprised how often this situation comes to light.
My standard response to this kind of question is to ask for clarity.
But that implies a trusting environment where people feel safe being vulnerable.
I suggested he tell his immediate supervisor, “I want to be able to faithfully execute the proposed changes. Can you help me understand the reasoning behind them? Because, with the information I have; they just don’t make sense.”
There’s a risk here, because the supervisor may not understand either and in the world of academia where you’re supposed to know the answers, not knowing can make people feel foolish. And no one likes feeling foolish.
It takes courage to admit you don’t understand.
Most people just lay low, waiting for more information.
Some go through the motions; others wait, hoping for clarity, doing nothing in the interim for fear of doing the wrong thing.
This lack of understanding and the commitment/buy-in that results from clarity may be one of the reasons most change initiatives fail.
This brings me to the image of the Chinese character for clarity at the top of the page.
To someone who reads Chinese that image communicates effectively and they may be
frustrated by other people’s inability to “get it.”
However, if the people you want to understand your message speak English, for example, and not Chinese; then you may need something like this to get your message across.
Either way, if you’re the leader, the one who wants to communicate; then I encourage you to ask your people to “play back to you” what they’ve heard. So you can judge how effective you’ve been communicating what you want done and why.
You may be thinking, “Why do I need to communicate ‘why’ I want something done?”
I think that degree of transparency allows your people to use their judgement more effectively.
If you accept the premise that ‘the burden of communication rests with the person who wishes to communicate’, then don’t make your people have to ask. Create a give and take where you communicate and you provide them the opportunity to tell you what they think they’ve heard and how it impacts them.
That way you not only know how effectively you’ve communicated, but sometimes you gather additional information that may alter your directive.
Is that clear?
How does this impact the way you communicate?
><(("> Gayle Turner
Gayle is a ><(("> Team Member at Catch Your Limit, a consulting firm headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.
I suggested he tell his immediate supervisor, “I want to be able to faithfully execute the proposed changes. Can you help me understand the reasoning behind them? Because, with the information I have; they just don’t make sense.”
Answer: Because the Superintendent said so.
Hey buddy, thanks for responding. Your answer reminds me of the old joke when an actor would ask, “What’s my motivation?” and the director would respond, “Your paycheck.” “Because the Superintendent said so” strikes that same funny bone. I’m a big fan of Pat Russo, the Superintendent for Henrico County Public Schools. I’m going to ask him if that’s the response he wants. Blind obedience or what does he prefer? Hopefully, he’ll respond here.
Reminds me of what I was taught years ago – Get the why behind the what.
Gayle- As you know since my arrival three years ago HCPS has engaged our staff, parents and community in many open discussions and forums. The School Board has been very clear in their expectations of transparency and stakeholder involvement in our decision-making process. Our Annual Community Priorities Workshop, yearly staff and student meetings and the most recent effort of closing the acheivement gap community engagement process, in which over 500 stakehoilders were involved over three meetings, demonstrates our vision to this School Board expectation! I wish it was that easy to do what the Superintendent says but that is not the case in HCPS!
Good post.
Mr. Turner,
Thank you for publishing this blog post. As a leader on campus, I am always trying to effectively communicate with my fellow students and professors on campus. Your insight on how to best approach the people in higher positions is greatly appreciated. Sometimes it is intimidating to ask for clarity from those above me. The hardest part, like you said, is asking for clarity when you are supposed to know all the answers. However, I have found if you approach the person with a humble attitude and present various ways to fix the problem and show possible solutions, the outcome can be positive. Also, as you stated by approaching someone this way you might gain more information that could alter your overall direction.