Page 41 - Becoming a Successful Manager

32 KNOWING THE TERRITORY

and receiving an answer could take months. That’s what people
expected, and that’s what they accepted.
Now, due to the increased functionality of cell phones, social
networking sites, Internet chat tools, and other such vehicles, an
exchange requires only minutes or seconds.
That can be good or it can be bad. Inaccurate information
travels just as quickly as accurate information, so it’s possible to
send bad messages with blinding speed. In business, accuracy is
the responsibility of the manager.

What Are the Communication Options?

As you take on the new role of being a manager, look at the com-
munication options you have at your disposal. All messages have
two components: content—what is delivered; and the packaging
and delivery of that content—how it is structured and sent.
Let’s look at each component. Certainly, as a manager you
are the content expert. We’ll concentrate on the structure and
sequence of your messages because you know what needs to be
accomplished.
A brief review of the communication process is in order here
so that you determine what you do, why you do it, and how you
do it to assure that all steps are deliberate rather than habitual or
simply comfortable.
The most important element in the communication process is
what the receiver thinks your message means. As a manager, you
already know what you want and why, but the messages you send
aren’t for you. They’re for someone else. Consider what factors will

influence how the person on the receiving end will interpret what
you send.
That’s why the generational characteristics are so important
and deserve so much attention. When you have a clear under-