再沒有比冗長、費解的官樣文章更讓員工感到挫折的了。意思是說，上司不應該給員工含糊不清或陳腔濫調的指示，造成員工可以從各種不同角度去解釋。如果部屬不了解上司真正要的是什麼，最有可能的結果就是，部屬將指示擱置一旁，期待從此石沈大海，沒有人再提起。

想要避免發生這種情形，上司一開始就應給予清楚明確的指示，讓所有人對目標沒有任何疑問。具體而言，你應該做到以下幾點：

1 切記以SMART為訂定目標或目的的原則，亦即上司必須訂定具體、可量化、有人負責、實際可行，及有具體時程的目標或目的。訂定目標後，一定要用簡潔易懂的字句定義何謂成功達成目標。先從你的觀點明確陳述你的期望，再和員工進行雙向溝通，從他們的反應確保他們和你目標一致、方向相同。
對於你自己都不甚了解的目標，千萬不要要求員工去追求達成。

2 化高遠目標為易於消化吸收的小觀念，和員工進行有效的溝通。把複雜的目標拆解為可按部就班實行的步驟，以幫助員工徹底了解目標內容。請員工提出各種疑問，以確保他們完全了解你的意思。讓員工充分了解，你希望他們確切執行哪些步驟，並讓他們知道，他們負責的作業將對團隊整體績效產生一定程度的影響。

3 如果上級給了你含糊不清、模稜兩可的目標，一定要和上級討論及協商，直到你清楚了解上級真正希望達成的目標。不要為了急著讓上司離開你的辦公室，而滿口答應去執行不明確的指示。

不論事業單位最終採用什麼樣的管理結構，都必須分享資訊、將知識傳播到組織每個角落。如果沒有這種持續不斷的溝通，任何商業策略都不太可能奏效。

組織可以藉由正式與非正式的工具來強化資訊分享這個機制。比較常見的工具包括以下各項：

■ 建立、維護全公司共用的資料庫與資訊系統，讓大家可以取得知識，然後跟需要的人分享。

■ 成立正式的團隊或委員會，負責加強資訊流通。

■ 提供員工非正式見面、閒聊的機會。這對於分享不能形諸文字的「內隱知識」特別重要。

■ 出版一份通訊錄，列出主要人員的所在位置、職責與特殊專業能力。

■ 讓每位成員都可以不經主管同意，就直接向組織裡任何人求援。

■ 建立信任的文化，使每個人都能遵照別人的指示滿懷信心地去做事。

不論使用哪種特定的工具，都必須釐清公司內部的資訊分享是由誰推動、由誰負責。如果沒說清楚，沒有專人負責這件事，大家就會以為已經有人在做了。

身為領導人，你想做的是確保員工知道使命是什麼，在資源方面擁有他們需要的每樣東西，然後與他們一起精益求精，讓投入的每一分錢發揮最大功效。

不用說，你當然希望提供團隊成功所需的裝備。準備裝備的方法包括：

1 提供員工適當工具──筆記型電腦、智慧型手機、快速上網、軟體等。你要確保員工擁有讓團隊成員生產力最大化所需的每樣東西。

2 提供員工不受限制的許可──使用你所有的資源和資訊，讓員工能在最適當的時間使用。偏執型的領導人有時會限制資訊使用，或設定限制讓每個人無法有效工作。不要掉進這種陷阱。

3 外包給專家──將你最耗時的任務，外包給將這項工作做得更好的人，這樣你就能大幅提升生產力。利用網際網路，你可以和世界各地技術先進的供應商建立合作關係。交付任務到世界各地，網羅世界級供應商的知識和技術為你的企業效力。

4 與供應商建立及培養新關係──這樣他們的強項就能為你所用。如果供應商的策略性優先要務和你的一致，你也可以利用他們既有的關係。這些關係或許能使你的努力更具影響力，產生綜效。

5 找出能夠持續提高團隊生產力的方法──做些效果顯著的小事，像是：
．僅注重高價值任務。
．減少會議次數。
．授予第一線團隊更大權力。

Nothing frustrates workers more than corporate gobbledygook—when a boss gives them vague, generalized directives and cliches that can be interpreted in a hundred different ways. If a subordinate doesn't understand exactly what their boss wants, their most likely course of action will be to let that item fall through the cracks in the hope it won't get raised again.

The key to avoiding this is to be clear and concise right at the outset so there is no question in anyone's mind what the objective is. How do you do this?

1 Always set goals or objectives that are SMART—that is, that are specific, measurable, accountable, realistic and time-bound. Every time you set a goal, give a succinct and crisp definition of what success will look like. Clarify your expectations in your own mind first, engage people in a two-way conversation and then listen to the feedback you get to make certain they're on the same page as you.
Never ask anyone to follow through on something you don't understand clearly yourself.

2 Communicate more effectively—by dividing big ideas into small, palatable bites. Break complex goals down into manageable steps everyone can comprehend. Get feedback to ensure your people know what you mean. Let everyone know the precise steps you're asking them to make, and give a sense of how each of those actions will impact on the overall team performance.

3 If you're given fuzzy or ambiguous expectations, keep discussing and negotiating with your boss—until you have a crystal clear picture of what is expected. Don't just agree to do something vague to get your boss out of your office.

Regardless of what structure a business ultimately takes, it's vital that information gets shared and knowledge gets transferred right across the organization. Without this kind of ongoing communication, it is highly doubtful any commercial strategy will work.

Information sharing can be enhanced by the availability of both formal and informal tools. Some of the more common tools are:

■ Create and maintain company-wide databases and IT systems where knowledge can be first captured and then shared with others who need it.

■ Create formal teams or committees with responsibility for enhancing the flow of information.

■ Create opportunities for employees to meet informally and chat. This is particularly important in the sharing of tacit knowledge that cannot effectively be written down.

■ Publish a directory that lists key personnel, their geo-graphical locations, their responsibilities and specific areas of expertise.

■ Allow everyone to approach anyone else in the organization for help without needing to get their boss's approval.

■ Create a culture of trustworthiness so people feel confident about acting on what others are telling them.

Regardless of which specific tools are used, its important that you clarify who is responsible and accountable for information sharing within the organization. If this is left up in the air without anyone being made specifically responsible, everyone will assume someone else is already doing this.

What you're trying to do as a leader is to make sure your people know what the mission is, have everything they need in the way of resources and then work with them to fine-tune so you get maximum bang for your buck.

It usually goes without saying you will naturally want to equip your team to be successful. You do this by:

1 Providing employees with the right tools – laptops, smart phones, fast Internet connections, software, etc. You want to make sure your people have whatever they will need to maximize their productivity as team members.

2 Provide employees with unrestricted access – to all of your resources and information assets so they can use them at a time that suits them best. Sometimes paranoid leaders restrict access to information or set restrictions which make everyone operate inefficiently. Don't fall into that trap.

3 Outsource to experts – subcontract out your most time draining tasks to those who can do them better and you can generate some sizable productivity gains. Using the Internet, you can build working relationships with state- of-the-art suppliers anywhere in the world. Delegate to the global village and tap into the knowledge and skill sets of world-class suppliers for your own enterprise.

4 Building and developing new relationships with your vendors – so you can leverage their strengths for your own benefit. If you have vendors whose strategic priorities align with your own, you can take advantage of the relationships they have in place as well. That may enable you to multiply the impact of your efforts and create synergies.

5 Figuring out ways you can increase your team's productivity on an ongoing basis – by doing small but obvious things like:
． Focusing on high-value tasks alone.
．Cutting back on meetings.
．Delegating more power to front-line teams.

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