Your team has no idea what you're asking for
The gap between what you say and what they hear is costing you time, money, and sanity.
Welcome to The Evolving Leader's Guide. Each week, I share one mindset, framework, or toolkit designed to help you become a more effective leader—so you can lead with confidence, inspire your team, and build a career you're proud of.
THIS WEEK'S TOOL: The Request Clarity Blueprint - A powerful framework that transforms vague requests into precise action by answering just five essential questions.
“It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me.” - Me when I was Director of Marketing and the legendary Taylor Swift
As Director of Account Based Marketing, I'd asked my team to create a targeting strategy for our top 100 accounts. I thought I was crystal clear about what I wanted. I'd explained the importance of the initiative, shared examples from competitors, and set a deadline.
Two weeks later, they presented their work. It was thorough, professional, and completely different from what I had in mind.
My first instinct was frustration. How could they miss the mark so badly? Then it hit me – I never actually defined what success looked like. I talked about the why but not the what. I assumed we shared the same vision, but we didn't.
My team wasn't underperforming. I was under-communicating.
This happens constantly. Leaders think they're being clear when they're actually being anything but. The result? A massive clarity gap that wastes everyone's time and creates unnecessary friction.
Let me show you how to fix it.
Why Your Instructions Get Lost in Translation
This happens constantly. Leaders think they're being clear when they're actually being anything but.
You think you're saying "build a boat." Your team hears "maybe build something that floats?"
This isn't about intelligence. It's about how information gets processed through different filters, experiences, and assumptions.
Each person in your organization interprets instructions based on their own context, priorities, and understanding of the bigger picture. It's like you're all playing poker, but everyone's secretly been dealt cards from different decks.
Three Warning Signs You're Not Being Clear
1. You're getting consistent questions after giving instructions.
If people keep asking for clarification, that's not them being difficult. That's your clarity failing. Good instructions don't require follow-up questions.
2. You're surprised by what gets delivered.
When you see the final product and think "that's not what I asked for," you probably didn't ask for what you thought you did.
3. You hear yourself saying "I assumed you knew..."
This phrase should trigger immediate alarm bells. Assumptions are clarity's worst enemy.
How Leaders Accidentally Create Confusion
Sometimes your authority works against clarity. When the boss speaks, people listen differently.
They read between lines that aren't there. They try to anticipate unstated desires. They hesitate to ask clarifying questions for fear of appearing incompetent.
Your seniority creates a power dynamic that actually makes clear communication harder, not easier.
Your team wants to impress you. They'll nod along even when confused because challenging the boss feels risky.
Inconsistency makes this worse. One day you're approachable and welcome questions, the next you're rushing between meetings and seem irritated by interruptions. Your team never knows which version of you they'll get, so they err on the side of not asking for clarity.
And we leaders fool ourselves. We think our position makes our communication more effective, when often it's the opposite.
The Real Cost of Confusion
The clarity gap isn't just annoying. It's expensive.
Communication barriers cost large enterprises (those with 100,000+ employees) an average of $62.4 million per year in lost productivity. For smaller companies of around 100 employees, the cost is around $420,000 per year. Clarity isn't a soft skill – it's a bottom-line issue.
Think about your own team. How many hours do they waste redoing work because the initial instructions weren't clear? How many deadlines get missed because people were working toward different goals?
This isn't just inefficient. It's demoralizing. Nothing kills motivation faster than pouring effort into something only to learn it's not what was wanted.
How to Close the Gap
Here's the good news: clarity isn't some innate talent. It's a skill you can develop with these specific techniques.
Define success before process.
Don't start with how. Start with what. What does the finished product look like? What problem will it solve? What metrics will tell you it worked?
Only after establishing these should you discuss how to get there.
Create a shared visual.
Our brains process images 60,000 times faster than text. Draw what you're asking for, even if it's just a simple sketch. Screenshot examples. Create a mockup.
This gives everyone the same reference point and dramatically reduces misinterpretation.
Implement the 5-second rule.
After explaining something important, ask someone to repeat it back to you in under five seconds. If they can't, you've failed the clarity test - not them.
Try this exact phrasing: "Would you mind explaining what I've asked for in your own words? I want to make sure I've communicated clearly, not test your understanding."
This puts the responsibility exactly where it belongs: on you as the communicator, not on your team as the recipients.
Try the "So What?" technique.
For any instruction you give, train your team to mentally ask "So what?" three times. Each answer reveals a deeper level of purpose.
"Update the dashboard." So what? "So we can track our progress." So what? "So we can identify bottlenecks." So what? "So we can hit our quarterly targets that the board is watching closely."
Suddenly, that simple dashboard update has context, urgency, and meaning. I've seen this transform execution overnight.
Check for contextual understanding.
Don't just ask "Does that make sense?" People will say yes even when confused. Instead, try these alternatives:
"What part of this project do you think is most important?"
"How would you explain what we're trying to accomplish to someone else?"
"What do you see as the biggest challenge in implementing this?"
"If you had to prioritize the elements we discussed, what would come first?"
"How does this connect to our larger goals?"
These questions reveal whether they grasp the context, not just the task.
The Magic of the Request Clarity Blueprint
I've found nothing closes the clarity gap better than this week's tool - the Request Clarity Blueprint. It's a simple one-pager that answers these five questions:
What are we doing? (In one sentence)
Why are we doing it? (The specific problem it solves)
What does success look like? (Measurable outcomes)
Who's responsible for what? (Clear ownership)
When does this need to be completed? (With actual dates)
This one-page document becomes your shared reference point. It prevents scope creep, aligns expectations, and gives everyone a concrete touchstone to return to when questions arise.
I've seen teams cut meeting time in half after implementing this practice. Here is an example of one from a Sales Development Director:
Combat the Authority Trap
To overcome the authority barriers to clarity, you need specific countermeasures.
Combat this by explicitly inviting questions. Make it clear that you value precision over speed. Create psychological safety around seeking clarification.
Start meetings with "I need your help getting this right" instead of "Here's what we're doing."
Make it routine to have someone summarize key points before ending discussions.
Remember, if your team doesn't understand, that's on you, not them.
Clarity as Competitive Advantage
The teams that execute best aren't necessarily the most talented. They're the most aligned. They have a shared, precise understanding of what needs to happen and why.
In a world where most workplaces operate in a perpetual fog of miscommunication, clarity becomes your superpower.
It's the difference between a team that repeatedly misses the mark and one that consistently delivers exactly what's needed.
The Coach's Challenge
This week, audit your clarity. Pick one important request you've made recently and ask three people who received it to write down what they think you asked for. Don't prompt them beyond that.
Compare their answers to your intention. The gap between them is your clarity opportunity.
Then create a one-pager for your next important initiative using the five questions above. Watch how it transforms your team's execution.
Nobody enjoys working hard on the wrong things. Clarity isn't just efficient - it's a gift you give your team.