How often have we had a superior ask for action then be upset because the outcome wasn’t what he or she intended? Likewise, how often has a boss requested information only to be upset because the information was too extensive or too brief? How often have we spent hours reading interminable reports so forgettable that within a few days or even hours we can’t recall what was in them. Usually the problem starts with unclear directions.
Churchill was famous for sending out notes that read approximately as follows:
“Pray let me have by Thursday next on one side of one page a report on the state of our preparations for….”
He had the subject clearly defined, the length and scope of the report clearly and sharply limited, and the due date clearly stated. He trusted that whomever wrote the report, presumably a person with some expertise on the subject, could accurately judge which of his or her knowledge was most essential for war leaders to learn from such a brief report.
How much better would business be if more managers learned to give clear direction?
More Leadership Lessons from Winston Churchill:
Listen.
Ask questions.
Give clear directions.
Don’t get angry at challenges to your ideas. Learn from them.
In most cases, it isn’t the person, it’s the process.
Learn to think in terms of a system.
Go and see for yourself.
Measure a lot of things, and have something to compare them to.
Have courage. Tell the truth, and expect others to do the same.
Great oratory is built on great arguments. Master your facts and your arguments first.
Copyright 2015, 2018 by Paul G. Spring. All rights reserved.