Managers who give their teams mixed messages get mixed results.
Examples include:
Asking for feedback and then deflecting critiques.
Asking to focus on quality but also speed and cost.
Asking to prioritize a critical task but not following up.
In all examples above, employees receive mixed signals. Does my manager really want me to say what I think? Is quality really the priority? Is the task really critical?
Tony Robbins wrote, “When you give your brain mixed messages, you’re going to get mixed results.” This surely applies to individuals. For example, those with mixed feelings about money have trouble taking decisive action to improve their income.
But the principle also applies to managers: those 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.
If you are a manager, the next time you ask something out of your team, ask yourself if they might be receiving mixed signals – from you, from other managers, from other colleagues, and from eventual beliefs of theirs. If it’s the case, consider discussing these mixed signals. After all, increasing clarity is one of the highest-leverage activities managers can spend their time on.