THE UNSPOKEN MESSAGE

"No answer is also an answer."

German proverb

Not always but often enough to be more true than not.

IF YOU DON'T I SWEAR I WILL . .

"What you cannot enforce, do not command."

Sophocles 

5th century BC Greek tragic poet

"Enforcement" takes many forms.

The best is when you gain willing participation from others for what you hope they will do.

Management Mantra

"Beauty of style and harmony and grace and good rhythm depends on simplicity."

Plato

4th century BC Greek philosopher

This first made me think of product development where simplicity is almost always a virtue.

Then I thought about it in the context of management.

There too, even more so. Simple is better.

United We Stand? We'll Decide That

"Any unity which doesn't have its origins in the multitudes is tyranny."

Blaise Pascal

17th century French mathematician/philosopher

True unity must come from those who are to be unified; you can't force unity on them.

As a manager can you order your direct reports to work together?

Sure.

Will they?

It's your job to see that they decide they want to.

Less REALLY Is More! No Kidding, REALLY!

"He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I've ever met."

Abraham Lincoln

16th president of the United States

As one who has occasionally been guilty of this, I've tried to make Business Wisdom just the opposite.

But it is hard isn't it?

You have so much to say that would be of benefit to those who will listen.

Now if you've got a few hours let me tell you why.

Any Questions?

"An order that can be misunderstood will be misunderstood."

Napoleon Bonaparte

18th/19th century French general

When giving direction to others how often do you say something other than what you intend?

And notice I said "how often" rather than "do you".

The Importance of Clear Directions

"For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?"

Bible
King James Version, 1 Corinthians 14:8

Will you follow a leader when he or her does not sound as though they know where they want to go?

Do You Have Any Questions?

"He who would not be frustrate of his hope to write well hereafter in laudable things ought himself to be a true poem."

John Milton
17th century English poet

Mr. Milton is a recognized poetic genius.

I am not.

Moreover the language he uses in this statement may well have been very clear to his contemporaries some 400 years ago.

But maybe not.

It's not to me and I think this may be one time he got just a bit balled up, his meaning taking a backseat to choice of words.

In business, when goaling not the word but the thought, take care to not obfuscate, intentionally or otherwise, upon pain of not more but less being heard as is spoke.

I think you know what I mean (and yes I know, two dogs in two days.)

Management: Put It In Writing?

"A verbal contract isn't worth the paper it's written on."

Samuel Goldwyn

What else do we need in writing besides critical elements of a contract?

Arguably a manager's instructions to a subordinate could (or should) easily include as much detail as would be found in any buy/sell agreement, but no one I know puts as much detail into their management directives as they would in a contract.

Is the fact that they don't the reason things often don't get done as the manager expects?

At what point should a manager's instructions be documented in writing? How much detail is needed?

Or is verbal direction between a manager and their subordinates always enough?