As Marcellus Wallace said to Butch in Pulp Fiction, “We don’t want to think, we want to know.”

Larry was a great guy to work for.  He was, quite frankly, one of the nicest people I knew.  So nice, in fact, that he would never talk directly about something that needed to be done (I think he hated giving tasks or feeling that he was giving orders).  That, coupled with extensive vocabulary and his love of hearing himself talk, resulted in his talking around issues.  He’d talk on top of it, to underneath it, and on both sides but never directly about it.  I could never follow where he was at or what needed to be done!  Finally, after a host of undefined tasks and exasperated, I said, “Look…I’m not smart enough to figure out what you are or aren’t talking about.  If you need something done, just tell me what it is.”  After that, he did.

Are you clear on your expectations to others or are you like Larry?  People need clarity if the job is going to get done right or if it’s going to get done at all.  Want people to know?  Here’s how I’ve learned to do it.

Know what you want, exactly.  I don’t think this needs any further explanation.

Don’t pontificate, use an economy of words.  Save your huge vocabulary for the stories you tell.  People’s attention spans are short.  The longer you talk, the less they listen.  If you know what you want, exactly, say it.

Lastly, check for understanding and move on.  Again, I don’t think this needs further explanation.

Your team doesn’t want to think they know, they want to know…EXACTLY!  Further they won’t know what you know or what you want until you let them know.  Be clear and concise on what you want.  Your team can’t meet the expectation unless they know what the expectation is.