Why most teams don't fail from lack of talent, they fail from lack of clarity, and how great leaders translate ambiguity into focus before execution even begins.
The five-different-explanations test is brutal and real. I've watched founders present a quarterly priority, feel totally confident everyone got it, then watch three different teams build three different things. And it's not because they werent paying attention - it's because the leader skipped the translation layer. You nailed it: communication and clarity are not the same thing. One is broadcast. The other is work. Curious though - when you see leaders actually nail this, what's the one behavior they do that others skip?
I would actually say the behavior I wrote on this week: Cognitive Empathy. They understand how others experience certain communications or situations and adjust how they lead or communicate because of it.
Easier for some than others. But Cognitive Empathy is one that if you don’t naturally use it, you can mechanically create it by just being intentional with learning about those you work with and around.
I personally have to take the mechanical route sometimes, and I’ve seen plenty of engineers be successful with it as well. It’s all about whether the people you’re leading are getting what they need out of you. They don’t care if you’re being mechanical about it, in fact, they probably won’t even notice.
The five-different-explanations test is brutal and real. I've watched founders present a quarterly priority, feel totally confident everyone got it, then watch three different teams build three different things. And it's not because they werent paying attention - it's because the leader skipped the translation layer. You nailed it: communication and clarity are not the same thing. One is broadcast. The other is work. Curious though - when you see leaders actually nail this, what's the one behavior they do that others skip?
I would actually say the behavior I wrote on this week: Cognitive Empathy. They understand how others experience certain communications or situations and adjust how they lead or communicate because of it.
Easier for some than others. But Cognitive Empathy is one that if you don’t naturally use it, you can mechanically create it by just being intentional with learning about those you work with and around.
I personally have to take the mechanical route sometimes, and I’ve seen plenty of engineers be successful with it as well. It’s all about whether the people you’re leading are getting what they need out of you. They don’t care if you’re being mechanical about it, in fact, they probably won’t even notice.