5 ways to tell people what to do at work

Managing people effectively is a balancing act — you’ve got to ensure people are productive without being a pushy boss. Get the balance wrong, and your team won’t deliver the right outcomes.

Unfortunately, only a quarter of workers (27%) describe their manager as “highly effective,”, according to the UK’s Chartered Management Institute. The research suggests ineffective management affects employee motivation and makes staff more likely to leave their roles.

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So, what’s a great way to tell people what to do? Five business leaders give us their tips for leading without ambiguity.

1. Ask insightful questions

Rahul Todkar, head of data and AI at travel specialist Tripadvisor, said he recognized the power of questions early in his career.

“You can lead people by asking good questions,” he said. “And this, in my opinion, is an underutilized management tool or lever.”

Todkar told ZDNET that questions could be used to guide people, especially in areas where it’s important to boost clarity and create a clear sense of direction.

“That’s how I approach it,” he said. “As a leader, you don’t want to be too directive. Instead, you want to drive a team to the solution by themselves in a discovery mode.”

Todkar said smart leaders ask insightful questions and watch their staff find answers, with just a little bit of guidance at times.

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“When you ask the right questions, teams move in the right direction by themselves,” he said. “And if you need to, you can give them a subtle steer in that direction.”

2. Engage in a healthy debate

Nick Woods, CIO of airport group MAG, said dialogue is the priority for any professional who wants to avoid ambiguity.

“If you’re telling somebody what to do, you’re already in the wrong place,” he said.

“Success is about a coaching, conversational dialogue that you need to have that ultimately comes down to a handshake on, ‘Are we clear on what’s next?'”

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Woods told ZDNET that most management decisions involve an ongoing debate. He doesn’t believe in being directive about outputs and telling people what they need to go and do.

“I think I’m much more in a space of, ‘Actually, I’ve hired good people. I’m going to allow you to go and tell me what we need to do, and then we’re going to have a dialogue about it,'” he said.

While debate and conjecture are healthy, Woods said decisions have to be made eventually — and responsibility will lie with the executive in charge.

“Ultimately, if there’s a decision to be made, and I’m expected to make it, I’m not afraid to do so. At which point, I’ll take accountability for that decision,” he said. “In doing that, you need to be clear on your decision, whether you write it down or communicate it and transmit it. You can’t be ambiguous.”

3. Lean on trusted advisors

Niall Robinson, head of product innovation at the Met Office, said talented staff should be given space to express their creativity.

“There’s a temptation as a leader to tell people how to do stuff — and that can be a trap,” he said.

Robinson told ZDNET that he focuses on avoiding that problem by trusting his staff to generate recommended actions.

“A habit I’ve been trying to practice is to tell people what success looks like and then giving them the agency to describe the options to me because they’re closer to many of the solutions. So, success is about giving people the power to advise me.”

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Robinson said you can avoid ambiguity by helping staff recognize the difference between short-term targets, such as better weather forecasts, and longer-term outcomes, such as health benefits from better decision-making due to weather information.

“There is a big narrative in the Met Office around the benefits of outcomes versus outputs. I found that quite useful.”

4. Communicate clearly and often

Claire Thompson, group chief data and analytics officer at financial services giant L&G, said being frank and open is the key to avoiding ambiguity.

“You’ve just got to try and tell the story as it is,” she said. “I can’t imagine any other way. You’ve got to ensure you communicate clearly.”

Thompson told ZDNET that approach is important when you’re running a big initiative and need to keep in touch with many people.

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“Sometimes, you can get so close and wrapped up in the detail of what you’re working on that it makes sense to you, but that’s because you’re living and breathing the project every single day,” she said.

“When you speak to other people, they’ll have many other things to consider. So, trying to find somebody that isn’t as close to the project — and asking whether things make sense to them, and using them as a sounding board – is probably good advice.”

Thompson said people who communicate clearly and often avoid ambiguity, even when a project strays beyond other people’s immediate zone of interest.

“Just because I’m passionate about data doesn’t mean everyone else will be,” she said. “I’d love for them to be. However, I’ve got to remember that, while I love data, that doesn’t mean to say it’s everyone’s passion.”

5. Give people context

James Fleming, CIO at the Francis Crick Institute, said ambiguity is part of the territory when you work in an innovative environment.

Before joining the world-leading research institute, Fleming held senior IT leadership positions at telecom giant BT.

Making the shift to the Crick involved moving from a large corporation that wanted clear direction on quarterly investments and targets to a research organization that explores new things and is unafraid of failure.

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“The big learning I’ve had from the Crick is the great value that driving a fearless organization yields in terms of people’s sense of autonomy and creativity,” he said.

“I try to tell people the intent and rationale behind something, not the actual solution.”

Fleming told ZDNET that even when the solution is more well-defined, he tries to give people the knowledge they require and the opportunity to generate innovative answers.

“I think context is critical, and context then, in turn, drives empowerment,” he said. “With context, people can arrive at the next point they’re uncertain about and say, ‘Ah, that’s why we’re doing this. I think this is the next step, and I feel empowered to make that step myself.'”