To Communicate Effectively, Marry The “What” To The “Why”

As leaders, when we share an initiative with our teams, we’re usually very good at communicating what we want done. We’re always good at telling people when it needs to be done. (Usually, yesterday.) What we often forget to share is the why of the initiative. And yet it’s the why behind the what that motivates the team to get the job done. If you’ve ever gotten frustrated that your message as a leader doesn’t seem to be filtering down through the organization, you’re not alone. The issue might not be your messaging; it may be in the filtering. Let’s examine how the why gets filtered.
The typical org chart reflects a static structure, but the typical organization is dynamic by nature, made up of individuals, each with their own perspectives and areas of focus. As humans, we each have our own filter through which we receive and disseminate information. I’m not a coffee drinker, but I assume the more filters the brew passes through, the weaker it becomes. Your ideas as a leader suffer the same fate. We ignore the filters at our own peril.
Here are four steps you can take to ensure your ideas percolate through the organization.
First, express your own sense of the why as concisely as possible. The longer the explanation, the less likely your audience will get the message. When you explain to your team the reason for the latest initiative, your message has to be short enough that they can repeat it easily – and verbatim – to their direct reports.
I’m Catholic. Over the years, I have coached many priests on their sermons. My main message has been, “If you can’t save me in ten minutes, you’re not going to save me in 20.” In business, it’s not about minutes; it’s about words. If your message is more than ten words, you’ve increased the chance your team will paraphrase your message rather than repeat it. Once your idea has been paraphrased, you have lost control of your message. Keep it short.
Second, consider how your stakeholders are processing and internalizing your message. Each person on your team approaches the conversation from their own vantage point. Imagine your typical meeting where you introduce your key initiative for the quarter. Your finance person is sitting right next to your marketing guru. And yet, they each hear the news from the vantage point of how it impacts them and their teams and will translate it accordingly. The finance person literally only hears the information relevant to their role, not from lack of attention, but from our human capacity limitations.
The burden of crafting a message that resonates with everyone at the table falls to you. How do you explain the why of your initiative in the broadest possible terms that it resonates with the entire team? A business leader I was recently coaching framed it this way: “Everyone’s self-interest must be aligned.”