One of the biggest things that can leave a team demoralized and confused is lack of transparency in communication - or lack of clarity. For instance, upper management conveys one message and yet their actions are in complete opposition to the communicated goals.
Why is this? There are three ways in which leaders send confusing signals to their organizations. Get them right and leaders will get the results they want; fail and you'll have confusion at best and the opposite outcome you are seeking at worst.
Telling Your Organization What Is Wanted
Very often leaders express what they want in terms of tasks rather than in terms of outcomes. They rarely, if ever, make clear the full extent of the what they are looking for. Leaders may hand down a list of projects or tasks to various teams or contributors without sharing how they fit together to create an outcome.This creates two issues. The first is that there is no buy-in from those executing the tasks since they don't understand the point. They may be put off in favor of tasks or projects that appear to be higher priority. The second is that, without knowing the purpose, those who are working on the projects can't optimize the deliverables. If they know they hoped-for outcomes, they have the opportunity to find smarter and cheaper ways to deliver on the desired outcomes, faster.
Not Living the Asked For Change
This means an intrinsic change to how leadership conducts itself in every day business. If the desired outcomes are a priority, make it a priority in business meetings, discussions, etc. Don't leave until the end as if it's an afterthought. Be consistent in following progress. Be prepared to provide support and feedback. This means not only being aware of what you are doing in any given moment, but also of how each thing you do impacts those around you.
Resourcing and Measuring the Desired Outcomes
How the organization spends its resources and what it chooses to measure are the final critical ways it signals what's important. If you, as a leader, ask for certain outcomes but don't provide the resources to achieve them, you are sending a mixed message. It also sends a mixed message if you don't appear to be measuring the benchmarks and milestones on the way to those changes. Too often, the first few quarters a new change may under achieve and be undermeasured because support hasn't been provided and the KPIs haven't been updated to reflect the new priorities.
Signals Matter
Not getting these signals right matters. Followers are looking for signals to help them understand what they should do. As leaders, we have a disporportionate ability to shape these signals. Failure to communicate clearly and provide the resources needed to achieve the desired and stated outcome will leave followers angry, frustrated, and hopeless.
