Following a discussion with my director, I have summarized the key takeaways for improving communication with leadership and how I manage my team.

Communicate Up

While my written communication is good, it still needs improvement, and there is a clear need to address the gap in vocal communication and the consistency of updates.

• Improve Vocal Communication:
  • Focus on better organizing thoughts before speaking.
  • Ensure I am explaining my thoughts and the reasoning behind them clearly.
• Keep People Informed:
  • Maintain frequent touch points to ensure leadership is always updated.
  • For complex discussions, rely on written documents to ensure clarity, even when the discussion is only with a direct lead.
• Strategic Reporting:
  • Prepare more formally when presenting to senior leaders.
  • Be intentional about deciding when and how quickly to surface information.
• Pushing Through: Sometimes direct leads may prevent problems from being reported upward. In these situations, I need to push to ensure issues are surfaced correctly.

Manage Down

Managing the team effectively requires a balance of motivation and healthy pressure.

• Motivate and Push:
  • Focus on keeping the team motivated while pushing for results.
  • Use urgency when needed—reminding the team that “we will miss the bus!” if we don’t maintain momentum.
• The Need to Challenge:
  • It is easy to be “nice,” but effective management requires the ability to Challenge Directly, a core principle from the book Radical Candor.
  • By avoiding “ruinous empathy” (where being nice prevents honest feedback), I can better challenge the team’s performance and ideas to drive the project forward.