It can be hard in operations to figure out how you create leverage.
Code creates leverage for developers. Capital creates leverage for financiers. My view: communication creates leverage for operations.
Leverage is the ability to create significant impact and maximize output with minimal resources or effort. Shipping code or spending cash can have outsized returns when targeted well. The same goes for effective communication in operations.
Communication is a core part of everyone’s role here. But it’s an even bigger part of the operations craft. We need to keep everyone aligned and moving quickly towards our goals. It’s crucial to find the right words, share them in the right place, and make sure the right people read them.
Achieving this can unblock teams, align goals, reduce uncertainty, facilitate decision-making, and build trust.
The single most important resource you allocate from one day to the next is your time. Time spent on communication is time well spent—when targeted well.
Here’s some actions you can take to improve your chances of creating leverage through communications:
- Read Smart Brevity: Learn how to convey your message succinctly and effectively.
- Understand Extreme Clarity: Make your communication clear and easily understood.
- Study Great Comms: Many great examples are listed in Sriram Krishnan’s Memos collection.
- Practice Daily: Use different formats—text, videos, memes—whatever resonates with your audience.
- Seek Feedback: Feedback is a gift. Use it to refine and improve your communication skills.
Communication acts as a force multiplier in operations; it’s how we can enable our teams to achieve more with less.