Mixed Signals, Mixed Results
Managers who give their teams mixed messages get mixed results.
2023-06-05 by Luca Dellanna
Managers who send mixed messages to their teams get mixed results.
Examples include:
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Asking for feedback and then deflecting critiques.
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Asking to focus on quality, but also on speed and cost.
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Asking to prioritize a critical task, but not following up.
In all the examples above, employees receive mixed signals. Does my manager really want me to say what I think? Is quality truly the priority? Is the task really critical?
“When you give your brain mixed messages, you’re going to get mixed results.”
This principle surely applies to individuals. For example, those with mixed feelings about money have trouble taking decisive action to improve their income.
But this principle also applies to business. Managers who give their teams mixed messages get mixed results. When they ask for feedback, they should demonstrate that they really want to hear what their team has to say. When they assign a priority, they should explicitly address that everything else is less important. And when they assign a task saying it’s important, they should follow up as if it were.
Mixed signals are the #1 reason change initiatives fail
Whenever a manager introduces a new process, their team likely wonders: "Is this going to stick, or will it be abandoned after a few weeks?"
To answer this, employees observe their manager's behavior. Is the manager following up on the new process and treating it as important? Or are they acting as if they don't care?
Principle
Unless the manager acts as if the new process were important, the team will not act as if it were important.
Hence, it is critical that managers send clear signals that the new processes are important and here to stay. Otherwise, they might as well not try and not waste anyone's time.
