When I was a relatively new manager, my boss let me know that I needed to keep them better informed. Something had happened that involved my team and my boss was surprised by it in a meeting with their peers.
They told me I needed to do a better job communicating with them, but at the same time, they clarified that they didn’t just want me to spam them with every little detail.
I asked them what guidance they could give to help me identify the kinds of information that they would want me to inform them about. They paused and eventually responded with, “You know what? Never mind. Just keep doing what you’re doing.”
I was frustrated. I felt like a failure with no opportunity to recover.
Decades later now, with the benefit of hindsight, I can realize that my boss at the time was relatively new in their leadership role. They were working with a leadership coach at the time. This may have simply been an opportunity for them to practice the art and skill of giving feedback.
But it also highlights the importance of clarity around what kind of communication you expect from your own direct reports. That expectation is tightly tied to the degree of delegation you’re giving to your direct report.
As a leader, it’s important for you to make clear up front whether you’re asking for a proposal to be shared with you before implementation, whether you’re asking for independent initiative with communication checkpoints defined by time or milestone, or whether you’re asking for a final confirmation when the delegation is complete, or something else.
When you’re tempted to ask your direct report to communicate better, that might be a good opportunity to examine your own communication about expectations. If you’d like to explore your specific situation further, let’s talk. Visit stevedwire.com/talk to start the conversation.
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