The Coaching Role: Inspiring and Motivating
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Other clarity killers include:
— Don’t be ridiculous, you know.
— I know exactly what you are thinking.
— Just use your judgment.
Communicating your expectations includes:
— Telling the individual what you want
accomplished.
— Telling the individual what good performance
looks like.
— Telling the individual how the performance
is measured.
Example
Bernie, I need the two files on the top of the stack on the
right side of the desk. They are labeled Income Statement
and Balance Sheet. The files are red. Bring them down to
the conference room immediately.- Avoid using abbreviations or nicknames even when
“everyone” knows what they mean.
“Everybody plan on having your IRC on the TL dock
... clean and ready for old “Iron Shoulders”
tomorrow morning at the latest.”
Sounds ridiculous but every organization, yours
included, has pet abbreviations that save time and
effort. However, for the benefit of anyone who may
have forgotten, who may be new or who may confuse
one abbreviation with another, the clearest instructions
are always abbreviation-free! Clarifying includes
adding insight about what things mean, where you can
get more information, what it’s all about. - Don’t permit sight or sound competition.
Anyone who has ever stood on the fringes of a crowd
and strained to hear a speaker above traffic noise,
laughter, applause, etc., understands the importance of
this rule. If your listener must resort to asking a
nearby co-worker, “What did he say?” or “When did
The clearest
instructions are
always
abbreviation-free!