Communication is always needed in order to get things done. The importance of effective communication is for the receiver to understand what the message is, not for the communicator to make sure it is communicated. Interpersonal communication is the way we all interact in the workplace, but in the management or executive role, it is not only critical to make sure your information is passed “down”, but to maintain communication “sideways” and most importantly “above”.

First time managers and even seasoned managers can fall into a habit of just communicating downwards to their team. As this is what the “boss” does above you, it makes sense to mimic the behavior of “water falling” the information to your directs. What you may not perceive is your boss communicating upwards to his boss.

There are three dimensions to being an effective communicator to all “spheres” of management:

Communication to your Directs

• A manager’s success is determined by the level of output from her directs. The first rule of understanding is do they understand their job description and the value they provide to the organization? For if this is not determined, any communication will be difficult to process and applied to work more slowly. In a worst case scenario a manager can misdirect, instead of direct if the employee does not understand their contribution.
• Are there any obstacles or news they need to be aware about that impact their work? Are there upcoming changes to events that your directs will need to adapt to? What is some news that can improve their performance? Keeping your directs “in the loop” instead of waiting for them to find out news by themselves builds a level of trust and enhances their skills and work production.
• What do they need from you? Listen to your team and ask questions of what is holding them back and what processes can be added or eliminated in order for them to perform. Their perception of their work environment compared to yours can be completely different, it is your duty to catch as much as you can and optimize the environment.

Communication to your Peers

• Communicate what you are working on and what is going well and not as well. Your peers may not report to you, but they can provide valued assistance and expertise.
• Ask if there is anything you or your team is doing to hold them back. If one department is doing well at the expense of others, the organization can not improve and loses traction. With this question regarding feedback, your peers may also ask you what they are doing to hold you back. This crisscross communication will ensure you both have the information needed to improve yourselves and your teams.

Communication to your Boss

• Find out what communication techniques your boss finds effective. Are they a reader or a listener? Do they value verbal communication or hardcopy communication? Sending weekly reports to a boss that understands more verbally will be ineffective for the both of you, as you’ll keep writing and he’ll keep on deleting not knowing what to look for.
• Any disruptions or possible complications in a project, keep your boss in the loop and communicate immediately. Without this upwards “red alert” communication, your boss may assume that everything is running smoothly. Embarrassment is not making a mistake, embarrassment comes when your boss says “You knew we were at a disadvantage in this area for weeks, why did you not inform me?”
• Ask for feedback. Find out what you or your team could work on, what the priorities are and if there is any news that can impact you or your team. For without direction, you will be misguided. Your boss will most likely ask the same question with feedback, share your insights and ask for possible solutions for the future. Once there is understanding of what you and your manager need or do not need to perform on key objectives, the question that follows is always: “Why didn’t we share each other’s feedback earlier?’”

Your success in an organization relies on all three spheres of communication: your directs, your peers and your boss. Pulling these spheres closer to the center so they overlap more and more with continuous communication and improvement will result not only in you being successful, but everyone around you as well.