And I thought IKEA’s instructions were frustrating.
Here are the directions to my fancy-schmancy presentation remote I recently purchased. My skill in reading Japanese is about on par with my ability to rock-climb: Slim to none, and Slim just ghosted me.
Eventually I figured out my contraption without the help of the foreign instructional sheet. WAHOO!!! But it got me to thinking, how often do we send our teams on their way without so much as a whisper of direction or guidance? How often do they flounder simply because they don’t have clarity on what to work on? How much time and money are being wasted because we are trying to cut corners with the most fundamental aspects of management?
If you are in a leadership role -- at work, at home, or in the community – consider how mindful you are in the messages you send to those you lead. Have you taken the extra, mission-critical time on your own part to get clear about what exactly you want them to do? Have you communicated your expectations explicitly to them, or are you just assuming that they know them? Do they know what resources are available to them if they need support, or are they fumbling around trying to figure it out themselves?
Just as the investment in my Japanese speaker toy will help me continue to deliver outstanding keynotes, your investment of time to get crystal clear with your team will help you meet and exceed your organizational goals.
Take the time to be mindful with your management. It’s worth it.
Theresa Rose is a business motivational speaker, award-winning author and expert on mindful productivity who helps organizations and their teams make more time, get more done, earn more money and have more fun. For more information, visit TheresaRose.com.