CHAPTER 2 Have a Ready Answer for THIS One Key Question—Always

Like a diaphanous nightgown, language both hides and reveals.

—KAREN ELIZABETH GORDON, AUTHOR

As a leader, you hear questions every day, some serious, some trivial. "What do you hear about the merger plans?" "Do you think our budget is going to be cut?" "Can we get an extension on the deadline?" "Are we going to have to work over the weekend?"

But the ONE question that you have to answer correctly every time is this: "What are you working on?"

It's particularly critical that you get the answer right when responding to your boss. Your reputation can also suffer when you flub that question with peers.

WHY IS THIS SO DIFFICULT?

For the most part, you and your team need to communicate details to run your project, department, or division. For that, you need charts, graphs, slides, spreadsheets, meetings, presentations, proposals, metrics, and reports. You accomplish things with these tools, and the associated data make perfect sense to you. The abbreviations, acronyms, illustrations, and other shortcuts save you time and ensure a common understanding.

So you have a tendency to try to communicate with the same tools and in that same fashion to those outside your functional area.

But don't.

That jargon, those communication tools, and that level of detail won't make sense to people on the outside. They'll likely conclude that you don't know how to synthesize, summarize, and interpret how your work contributes to the big picture of the organization.

Granted, habits are difficult to break. But they can hinder communication and halt your career growth.

SO HOW SHOULD YOU ANSWER THAT ONE QUESTION?

Put aside your complicated tools. Forget how much effort you've put into the project. Time spent does not equal value created. Instead, focus on these few things to answer the big question:

Part 1: We're working on solving X problem(s).

Part 2: Here's why it matters to the organization. . . .

Part 3: Here are the outcomes we're working toward. . . .

Part 4: (Optional—depending on who asked the question) This is how the work may affect the budget and timeline as far as you're concerned. . . .

HOW DO YOU EDUCATE OTHERS OUTSIDE YOUR FUNCTIONAL AREA?

You shouldn't and you don't.

If you do, you'll be irrelevant. While coaching sales teams on presentations or sales proposals, I frequently hear such comments as "We have to educate our customers on our product" or "Our customers really don't understand how best to use our process and the services we provide, so our real challenge is to educate them on exactly what we do."

I have to bite my tongue to keep from shouting, "How insulting to your customers!" That's like saying, "We need smarter customers." Very few customers will likely agree with you on that.

Ditto with internal customers. They don't want to be "educated" about what you're doing. They want you to be educated about what they're doing and then translate what you're doing for them. In other words, get aboard their train.

SO WHAT'S YOUR REAL JOB AS A STRATEGIC THINKER AND LEADER?

Become a translator: "So what that means for you (for the organization, for our customers, for our partners, for our suppliers) is that . . ."

Sift through and analyze the metrics, data, and details needed for your functional role. Then draw some conclusions about the bigger picture: How does your work benefit them? Their budget? Their deadlines? Their costs? Their savings? Their profits? Their processes? Make their work easier? But never pass on your raw information.

Instead, communicate clearly an answer to this ONE question: "What are you working on?" And if your answer is strategic (relevant, tailored, and timely), the listener will care.

That's relevancy. And staying relevant is a leader's strategic responsibility.