You probably don’t need a podcast

Ever look up a recipe and find a short novel before the recipe itself?

Or maybe you received an email from someone, and after three paragraphs, you still don’t know what they want.

Maybe it’s a report or memo that buries the top line info in fluff and filler.

One of the best ways to get a response, earn respect, and win is by getting to the point.

It doesn’t mean being cold – you’re still a human communicating with another human, so respect is a must. It means being concise and clear.

Say what you mean and say it early.

There’s probably something big you’re avoiding right now.

I’ve been there too: Staying in a job I no longer liked because starting a new one felt like a pain in the ass. Keeping a toxic employee around because I didn’t want to have the awkward 20-minute conversation to let them go. Waiting until the last minute to start a big project because I didn’t know how to get started.

In Traction, Gino Wickman calls this the “36 hours of pain.” He tells the story of a manager who knew one of his longtime employees was no longer the right fit for the role as the company grew. The thought of letting them go was agonizing. But after the 36 hours leading up to the termination, once he finally did it, the work environment changed overnight. His team even thanked him for making the tough decision.

We trade long-term peace for short-term comfort all the time. Over time, these constant tradeoffs deteriorate our motivation, mental state, confidence, and even our physical health.

A tough moment today – a decision, a conversation, a confrontation with reality – can save you from months or years of frustration.

Not everyone should be a manager. More people need to say that out loud.

We think moving up means moving into management. Organizational leaders assume the only way to promote someone is to give them people to manage. Early career professionals assume it is the only path to advancement and higher pay.

One of the worst, most draining mistakes you can make is stepping into management when you are meant to be a strong individual contributor.

Management means putting down your craft to lead people and develop the next generation. Being an individual contributor means building deep expertise. Both paths are valuable. Both are needed. You have to know which one fits you.

Management brings its own stress: hard decisions, hard conversations, and responsibilities you can’t just check off. But the reward of helping others grow is real.

Some people thrive as specialized individual contributors. They become highly valued and well paid, without managing a team.

Success comes in many forms. Pick the one that fits you.

When’s the last time you sat down with a list of your direct reports and asked yourself what they need, what they’re struggling with, and what growth for them that week could look like?

Chances are, the answer is either never or it was a long time ago.

Weeks go by fast, I get it. But just as Cal Newport argues for regular, dedicated, focused, “deep work” time in his book Deep Work, you need that same sort of intentional management time focused on your team and their needs that week.

Something to try this week: Make a grid of your direct reports’ names and answer these questions for each of them:

1. What do they need this week? This isn’t about what tasks they need to do; it’s about what resources they need. It can mean taking something off their plate to focus on more important tasks, a day off due to approaching burnout, or simply recognizing a job well done. Figure that out, then get it for them.
2. What are they struggling with? This may be a more complicated question to answer, and you may get it wrong. Many employees don’t bring up challenges with their managers, so you’re often left guessing. But ask the question to yourself, then ask them in a check-in, “Hey, I get the sense/wonder if you’re struggling with X. Is that true?” It could open the door to a really important conversation.
3. How are they progressing in their role and career, and what challenge can I give them this week? This isn’t about their day-to-day tasks, but rather about them progressing as a person. It’s tempting to focus solely on immediate deliverables, but your people have aspirations and growth goals that deserve attention too.

That’s it: just three questions to ask about your team this week. Don’t wait until the performance review to have these conversations. As a manager, you have a duty to spend intentional management time thinking about them and their needs.

Neither is your organization. I know that’s really hard to hear or accept.

You’re not so unique that the basics of leadership, systems, and clarity don’t apply to you.

You’re not so unique that you just happen to attract bad hires. Maybe you have weak management.

You’re not so unique that setting clear goals, building a healthy culture, and creating clarity somehow aren’t “your thing.”

Saying you’re unique is convenient. It’s a way to avoid change, sidestep responsibility, and ignore the hard truths every other leader eventually has to face.

The good news is, you’re not alone. But you’re not exempt either.

They say clarity is kindness, and I tend to agree. The clearer we are about vision, expectations, roles, deadlines, deliverables, etc., the better our teams become.

I’ve learned that clarity doesn’t appear out of thin air. It’s an intentional commitment an organization makes to its people. And the way you create greater clarity, in my view, is through building better systems.

Consider a few common sources of stress in an organization:

• Unclear roles: When people don’t know what they own or what others own, you need a system that proactively defines roles and responsibilities.
• Projects are vague: The deliverables and deadlines are fuzzy, so you likely need a better project kickoff and management system.
• Poor communication: If key people aren’t “in the loop,” you might need an internal comms system that makes sure updates flow the right way at the right time.
• Decision-making bottlenecks: If people don’t know who can make what decisions, you may lack a system for defining authority and approvals.
• Mission drift and shiny objects: If your team struggles to stay aligned on long-term goals, or too many “exciting ideas” keep popping up, you need a system for setting plans and regularly reviewing goals.

Again and again, when an organization lacks clarity, it’s not just a communication issue, it’s a systems issue.

If you want to create greater clarity, try identifying the missing system.