Coach’s journal · Self-awareness & roles
A place to begin
Connect the desired organizational result, current priorities and each person’s contribution. If the rationale is unclear, ask rather than inventing a convincing story. Then listen to how the team understood the direction and what it means for their next decision.
When a task arrives without its context
“Please do this first” may be clear as an instruction, while leaving someone wondering why yesterday’s priority has moved. Background familiar to you may never have reached the team. What do you know that they might not?
You do not have to agree with every decision before discussing it. You can distinguish what you understand from what still needs clarification, without asking the team to pretend that uncertainty is absent.
What direction does your language offer?
“Head office says we have to” expresses frustration, but may leave the work sounding meaningless. A polished justification can also overlook real constraints. There is space to find language that acknowledges both purpose and difficulty.
Connect the intended result with the team’s contribution, including what can wait. Calling everything equally important gives people little help when two commitments collide.
Try a one-minute explanation
Choose one item: why this matters, what comes first, and how individual roles contribute. Pay attention to whether someone can use the explanation, rather than whether you delivered it elegantly.
Ask, “If these two tasks collide, which would you do first?” A different answer offers information about where understanding diverged. Stay curious before repeating your explanation.
What HR can help make possible
Alongside communication skills, explore whether managers can ask senior leaders about rationale and trade-offs. Frequent changes may call for a shared conversation about what changed and what remains important.
Start with one decision the manager finds difficult to explain. What facts or organizational choices would help? Connecting direction is a conversation grounded in work, not simply another slogan.
Questions about this topic
What if I disagree with the decision?
Distinguish the purpose you understand from the impact that concerns you. Clarify missing context with your manager and tell the team what you will check and when you will return.
Must I repeat the rationale in every meeting?
You need not give a long explanation every time. Revisit it when priorities or conditions change, or when people are making different assumptions.
Where can HR begin?
Ask whether the manager understands organizational goals and decision criteria, and whether there is a workable route for questioning ambiguous direction.