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Is Your Workplace a Minefield?

April 11, 2012 By 9 Comments

It has caused countries to go to war and marriages to resemble wars. Breaking up teams, bands, and relationships, a lack of proper communicating destroys organizations without discrimination.

Communication problems create a minefield of assumptions sure to blast any team, especially one with new leadership. When you fail to communicate, be ready for some explosions from these

Communication Land Mines:

Assumed expectations

“He thought I was going to do it, and I thought He was going to do it.” Those words often come right before your stomach sinks and you realize, your work will now be done late at best. Along with, “I didn’t realize that was my job.” Before tearing into this person, ask yourself how they should have known. Avoid disappointment by clearly delegating responsibilities.

Assumed Understanding

Few things can be more frustrating than having poured hours into a project only to hear the words, “Oh, that’s not what I meant.” Ask questions to confirm that you are on the same page.

Assumed Competencies

It may be within your power to assign a task, but that will not make a bit of difference if they do not know how to do it. Help your team save face by saying, “If you need to be shown how to do any of this or have questions along the way, just ask.” You are helping them and yourself by doing this!

Assumed Resources

In my estimation, this might be the most overlooked of all assumptions. Does the person have the finances, tools, materials, etc. to complete the job at hand or the authorization to acquire them? Sometimes projects can be stymied systemically. Make sure they have what they need or have the knowledge and ability to retrieve it.

Assumed Completion

“You don’t get what you expect, but what you inspect.” Sad, but true. If the first time you check in on a project is the due date, you may find a lot of disappointments. Until a reputation has been established, keep team members accountable while taking care not to micro-manage.

Assumed Motives

When things go wrong, ask questions. You might think you know why. You might even be right. You might also be wrong. Avoid compounding a bad situation by getting the facts.

Do you find yourself dodging the depth charges at work? What other explosions have you seen caused by downed communication? Share number 7 with us!

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  • http://www.lifeofasteward.com Loren Pinilis

    Man, this is something everyone should read a few times. And I think it doesn’t just go for the workplace – it goes for relationships as well. In fact, probably moreso for relationships. I know that almost all disagreements I have with my wife boil down to some sort of assumption.

    • http://www.noahlomax.com/ Noah Lomax

      It really is true! Working in a college setting, I can’t tell you how many times I witness relationships end abruptly. Yet almost every time it is because one party had concerns, but never expressed them. The doubt festered and exploded in a seemingly out of the blue conversation, phone call, or *gasp* text saying, “This is not working.”

      Thanks for adding, Loren!

  • http://www.jasonvana.com Jason Vana

    I could list a TON of explosions from work, but when it comes to ministry, the biggest one I’ve seen is the assumed expectations. I’ve learned over the years that it’s best to overcommunicate expectations than to assume that someone or even myself knows what’s expected of them.

    • http://www.noahlomax.com/ Noah Lomax

       Good point. It was actually this one that sparked my interest in writing this post. This can create really uncomfortable situations where nobody looks good. Thanks for sharing!

  • http://www.christianyogablog.com/ Bethanycaddell

    I would agree, a lot of bad things can be avoided in the workplace with more communication. Yet I have had times when overcommunication can be both annoying. I have a coworker who is great with communication to the point where I want to speed up the story so we can get to the point. Spare me the details. I just lost a year of my life. 

    • http://www.noahlomax.com/ Noah Lomax

       Ooooo, so true. It’s definitely all about balance. I thinks people should insulate, but not isolate. We all need a certain amount of information to work effectively, whether we are the leader or the doorman. However, we don’t need every minute detail. Thanks for commenting, Bethany!

  • http://twitter.com/sarah_c_kurtz Sarah Kurtz

    Assumptions are never good–we all know what they do ;) I’ve found that it’s hard to make sure it’s understood without communicating an air of distrust or talking down to the person.  Thoughts on how you can better gauge their understanding without insulting people? 

  • http://danblackonleadership.com/ Dan Black

    Being able to communicate the company’s values and goals is so essential.  The Bible says, “without vision the people perish” which happens when the leader does not communicate the vision and goals of the company/organization.

    Wonderful insights here.

  • Lynnae Lawson

    Of all these assumptions, the one I face everyday is assumed competencies. As a junior high teacher, I find that these assumptions rest in three parties: the teacher (I’ll own the blame right off), the students, and the parents. There I are times that I assume my students understand a concept only to find half the class in my office seeking help. But, there are also times, as I’m helping students, I realize that they (or their parents) have assumed the student is less competent than they are. In either case, I have enjoyed learning to encourage students (and their parents) by celebrating the competent moments and accepting blame for my own assumptions. Great post.