I attended a meeting yesterday with lots of stakeholders working on a big, new project. The meeting organizer and I are friendly, and I’m glad she felt comfortable enough to talk to me beforehand.
“Please don’t ask a million of your f*cking questions during this meeting okay? I don’t want to be there all day.”
Wow. So this is something that I do, and it’s noticeable. I ask a million f*cking questions.
In the NY Times blog You’re the Boss: The Art of Running a Small Business, Jay Goltz notes that strengths feed weaknesses, adding, “People tend to do what they are good at doing and what they like doing. That does not necessarily mean they are doing what is best for the company.”
My strength is clarity, and I’m especially good at establishing clarity in advance of a new endeavor. That’s good except when it’s not, except when it’s not about clearing the path but about slowing things down, proposing endless what if scenarios, and otherwise losing sight of the goal.
If you think about those closest to you, it’s easy to see that the same trait can be both positive and negative. The person who is relaxed and laid back can also seem indifferent and passive.
So what are you great at when it comes to communication? Cutting to the chase? Speaking your mind? Exercising discretion? What’s the downside of that skill?
Here are the shades of gray…I would be making a serious mistake if I simply gave up asking questions and seeking clarity–goodness knows that wasn’t what my friend was asking me to do. But she was asking me to learn the difference.
And you? Do you know what is a communications challenge for you?
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