Complete Responsibility

“The biggest difficulty we have,” Susan insisted, “is communication.”

I nodded. “How so?”

“Well, sometimes it seems we are not even on the same team. I give instructions, I hold meetings, but when somebody has to coordinate with someone else, it always seems like the ball gets dropped.”

“What do you think the problem is?” I asked.

“It seems that there is an awful lot of talking going on, but not a lot of listening.”

“And that surprises you?” I smiled.

“No. But, as the manager, I expect my team to listen when I talk.” Susan shook her from side to side, impatiently.

“Oh, so this is your team’s fault?”

Susan was no dummy. She sensed I was setting her up. “Well, okay, I know I am 50 percent to blame,” she relented.

“And what would you do differently, if I told you that you were 100 percent responsible. For your team’s complete understanding, you, as the manager, are 100 percent responsible for the success of the communication. What would you do differently?” -TF

2 thoughts on “Complete Responsibility

  1. kurt

    A wise man once told me: ‘The meaning of communicating is manipulation!’ A strong formulation but it has some truth within.
    When we ask ourselves the question: What do I want them to remember after the communication is over, and how do I get them interested in what I’m saying? I think this is a good first step. Our spoken from the beholder point of view: What’s in it for me?

    Reply

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