A common criticism of management, is the announcement of an important decision with little explanation, rationale, or indication of the precise results they hope to achieve.  When it’s a senior management decision junior managers have to explain to their workforce, foolish and uninformed are words these line managers often use to describe how they feel.

While many small management decisions require little explanation, as a general rule, managers should spend an amount of time crafting an effective communication message, proportional to the importance of the decision itself. And write it down. Writing requires disciplined thinking and encourages clarity. Alowing multiple oral explanations encourages ad hockey, hyperbole and editorializing.

While the exact wording of this important communique is always optional, I recommend you KEEP IT SHORT.  Use simple, concrete language. Stress what is in it for your organization. The attention span of most humans is limited and can easily be shortened by a plethora of words. Think one page.

Now, follow the simple crafting formula below

Step one: CLEARLY STATE THE DECISION.  This may sound simplistic but clarity is often obscured by attempts to say too much, or by your choice of words.  Ask the simple question “what exactly did I or we decide “, then write it down. If you can’t do this in one sentence, you’re in trouble. Try again if you need to achieve more clarity.

Step two: CLEARLY STIPULATE WHAT YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE AND THE REASONING BEHIND THE DECISION.  Thins the why. The goal here is not to sell, achieve buy-in, or justify your action.  The objective is to tell your audience what goal you are seeking and explain the reasoning that led you to the decision you made. This is a sign of respect for those the decision will impact; it lets them know you thought about the matter with care. A single short paragraph will do.

Step three:  CLEARLY STIPULATE HOW YOU INTEND TO MEASURE THE DECISION’S EFFECTIVENESS.  This step is a critical necessity of any sound decision making process. Otherwise, how will you know your goal has been achieved?  Letting a workforce know that you intend to measure results — and sharing the measures, metrics, data you intend to use — is a powerful message that enhances your managerial credibility.  It also reinforces that you understand that “there is no such thing as a decision until you implement it and see what happens”.  Communicating your measures for success is especially important to those who may disagree with the decision, letting them know there will be a re-evaluation.  A few short sentences please.

Step four: INDICATE EXACTLY WHEN YOU WILL UNDERTAKE A RE-EVALUATION OF THE DECISION’S IMPACT.  Putting an exact time frame on the re-evaluation process lends credibility to the promise it contains and forces some form of tracking process to fulfill the promise. Remember, it is a bad management practice to promise the workforce anything you do not — whether deliberately or inadvertently — deliver.  A sentence our two should suffice.

Now disseminate it widely and instruct managers to stick to this script.

UPDATED May 2026

Categories: Communicating Effectively, Managing & Leading

Tags: accountability, advice for managers, advice for managers from managers, best managers, decision making, effective management and leadership, effective managers and leaders, line management, management accountability, management advice, Managing & Leading