The CEO Code

Techniques

A simple yet effective way to test if your message got through is to ask, “What did I say?” or “What do you plan to do?” Remember: Not all people are highly verbal. When you are talking to a reserved and quiet person, you might say, “Show me how you’ll fix this” or “Write your plan and show me later.”

As a task is proceeding “inspect what you expect.” Put a note in your smartphone or digital device to check in with a person to whom you have delegated a task halfway through an assignment. This way, you can keep things on track, you avoid last-minute surprises, and you may give encouragement for a job being done correctly.

Use a communications planner to interface with your most frequently contacted team members. List their names in ...