In Management and Leadership, we must Communication people to do things. These requests should be precise, as imprecise asks lead to wasted effort1. A precise ask will be1:
- time boxed (e.g. donât spend more than an hour on this)
- define whether we are looking for something new or existing
- explains how the information will be used (is this going to the board, a customer, etc?)
Jeff Wofford detailed the many ways we ask for things, as a leader he called out a few simple tools2:
- âPleaseâ naturally has the effect of retaining clarity while dialing down the harshness of a request
- âI need you toâŚâ is a popular way of commanding because it makes it incumbent on the requestee to refute the leaderâs needs in order to not do a task
- âWould you mindâŚâ has the impact of requiring a âyesâ (you do mind) in order to refuse the request.
- âWill you/Would youâŚâ is a popular and useful way of asking for something, itâs clear but not harsh
1. Your Small Imprecise Ask Is a Big Waste of Their Time. https://staysaasy.com/startups/2023/11/10/imprecise-asks.html (2023).
2. Wofford, J. How to Boss Without Being Bossy. https://www.jeffwofford.com/?p=2089 (2023).