Executive Communication
Executive communication is a relevant skill not just for managers. In smaller companies, individual contributors can easily get some exposure to execs to give them relevant input for decisions. I’d like to share some things about exec communication that I’ve found useful. (I learned some of these the “hard way”, no need for you to do that as well.)
When you approach an exec for a decision, always make clear first thing what it is you need from them, and provide only the most crucial information at first. Don't lose yourself in story telling and providing all the details. You think they're important because they fuel your point of view and recommendation (and you prepared them all, dammit), but they might not be necessary because the value they add might be limited in the context the exec is operating in. The exec will ask if more information is needed, and if you have it ready, that will be great.
I learned this one the “hard way” - in quotes, because the person who was my VP at eBay at the time is an extraordinarily gentle and kind human being. I made the usual mistake: I brought a meticulously prepared slide deck (18 slides or so), with all the important details clearly laid out, a thorough narrative with a really good story arc, only to land precisely on my recommendation for how to proceed on the last-but-one slide. On slide 4, my VP interrupted me and asked the plain question: “Michael, what do you need from me?” I fast-forwarded to the last-but-one slide, and three minutes later things were settled, which involved me going back to one or two of the detail slides at the VP’s request.
The best compliment you can get from an exec when providing input for a decision is "no further questions"; it means they have all the information they need to make that decision. So even if the decision in the end might not be the one you wanted, you'll still come across as capable of preparing the decision making very well. The more senior an exec is, the better they should be at making decisions with incomplete information, and at pulling in the information they might still need.
Tags: work