TAKE THE TIME TO MAKE IT CLEAR

November 24, 2010

Picture this. You sent your assistant an email about a task you wanted him to take care of, but it wasn’t clear. Something was left out or lost in translation. Happens all the time. He didn’t understand and therefore did not act on it. You’re frustrated because you didn’t get the outcome you needed, which makes you look bad to the client. Your assistant is frustrated because he takes pride in his work and now he feels responsible for the screw up, even though it wasn’t his fault. Everybody looks bad, everybody is frustrated.

The worst part of this sad story is that it would have been so easy to avoid the problem in the first place. Taking one minute—even 30 seconds—to validate and ensure clarity can save 30 days’ worth of disaster cleanup later.

Have you heard that saying, “When there’s not time to do it right, there’s always time to do it over?” Take that time. Ask, do you understand? Is this what you mean? Could we go over that once more so that I’m clear on what you need?
Take the time to listen to your voice mail and let people finish their sentences before you butt in to interrupt. When you get an email—READ THE ENTIRE EMAIL. If you’re too ADD to do that, then get an assistant who will do it for you, but make sure you have a system in place to ensure that nothing gets missed or ignored, or you’ll pay later and pay dearly.

Thank your clients for the time taken to listen and respond! No matter what the outcome of your communication, even if the response to your talk or discussion has been negative, it is good manners to end it politely and with respect for everyone’s input and time.

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