Here are two quotes from The CEO Test by Adam Bryant and Kevin Sharer. The book's content is simple, practical, and actionable for most leaders.
Quote No. 1
“A helpful acronym for leaders to keep in mind is WAIT, which stands for, "Why Am I Talking?" because anything a leader says can quickly overwhelm a discussion and make people shut down.
Asking yourself, “Why am I talking?” helps determine whether it’s more valuable to listen or contribute at that moment. Sometimes, listening is contributing. Leaders often dominate conversations due to their authority. As leaders, we must seek to understand and share the truth. That requires a balance of communication.
Quote No. 2
“What is clear and simple in the leader’s head is often not as clear and simple to everyone else. Because of the powerful gravitational pull in business to make things more complicated…a leader’s job is to provide the counterweight of a relentless drive to simplify complexity, and to develop a jargon-free plan for winning that everyone understands, remembers, and knows how to contribute. The simple plan will evolve over time…but the point is to start with a clear plan so you know what to adjust and why when market conditions change….The skill of simplifying complexity is not widely shared, and leaders need to make a conscious effort to practice it themselves and demand it from others.” (lightly edited for clarity)
The idea that leaders are a “counterweight to complexity” is powerful. Being a leader means being a simplifier. To execute, you and your team must understand reality, which means wading through complexity to find the truth.
Ask yourself:
Do I understand the truth? Understanding requires discipline, curiosity, humility, and actively fostering a culture of truth-seeking and truth-speaking.
Does everyone understand the truth? – Simplifying complex information is required to create actionable communication.
Are our actions aligned with reality? – A well-crafted email is nice, but execution is what counts. Everyone should understand what you’re trying to do, why it’s important, the “why” of decisions, what you’re struggling with, and what excellence looks like in behavior and execution.
Actions:
Prioritize communication. Where will you be intentional this week? This should include how you and your junior leaders are mastering the craft of communication, including listening.
Ensure your team understands the what, why, and how of their work.
Challenge your assumptions. Just because it’s clear to you doesn’t mean it is clear to everyone else. I consistently fall into this trap.
Develop feedback loops to assess clarity and surface ideas, questions, and truth.
Be explicit about the “why” in everything to foster better decision-making and understanding.
Don’t assume people have heard your message or that they understand it—repetition is essential.
I hope you’re good.
Take care, Kelly
Talk Less, Simplify More