Communicating Intent

We all know work environments and cultures vary greatly.  I’ve worked for managers who micromanage and for others who were more hands off.  Also, leaders have different ways of communicating what is important.  Strategies and goals can be written and posted for all to see and then emphasized by department managers during staff meetings.

Ideally, the CEO or project manager states their intent and then allows the team freedom to execute.  Due to complexity and the innumerable ways to execute a plan, the CEO or project manager shouldn’t dictate the next steps.  This is the ideal state but it’s more difficult to implement in practice.  Why is that?  The team’s ability to listen, synthesize, plan, and execute depends on the team’s experience, ability and maturity.

Experience

• How many years of work experience does each individual have?
• How many years have the team members worked together?
• Do the team and individuals have experience working on different projects?
• Has the team experienced success and failure?

Ability

• What technical skills does each team member have?
• Does the team have diverse skill sets?
• Are the abilities the right fit?

Maturity

• How well do the team members work together?
• Are disagreements resolved effectively and quickly?
• Do individuals support each other and work cohesively?

If you are a leader, communicate your intent in a clear and concise manner.  Document the intent via email, intranet site, or using project management software.  More importantly, repeat the intent often so it stays at the forefront.  This is an area I personally need to improve on.  The intent never sinks in the first time so communicate often since people get easily distracted, they are busy working on multiple projects, and frankly some people don’t care.  The signal to watch for is proactive action.  People who understand the mission will give you feedback, suggest ideas and will sometimes challenge your intent.  All of these reactions are a good sign you were heard loud and clear.

International Teams

I work with colleagues across the US and in multiple countries.  Global teams make communicating your intent more challenging due to language and cultural differences.  This makes it more critical to document and repeat your intent.  If possible, have someone translate for you and ask individuals to explain the intent to you to confirm comprehension.

I’ve been in meetings with attendees from different countries and an executive presents his or her strategy then asks if anyone has questions.  People smile and not without saying anyting so the leader moves on to the next topic assuming people understood what was just said.  Some team members don’t want to look ignorant, some are shy, and some were probably multitasking during the presentation. 

Project managers should check in often with the team, monitor progress and ask probing questions to verify your intent was understood.  More importantly, offer help to get the team back on track if the team is struggling or needs resources.  If the team knows you have their back, communication will most likely go up and down the chain to strengthen your intent.