Though I’m now in Weeks 6 of 15, I’ll stick with that same conversation with Ernest for lesson 2.

Lesson 2: Know what information to convey.

He went on to say that learning to communicate the right level of information to your manager is a hugely important part of communication finesse, and I totally agree. In school, they don’t teach which questions to ask and which statements to make. They teach the ‘There is no dumb question’ rhetoric and are silent on what to speak up versus when to remain silent. Ernest, on the other hand, provided a simple framework. He advised me to ask for input on decisions that directly impact work under the manager’s responsibility and give him the level of information he needs to make his decisions. Asking questions about insignificant things tends to be annoying; not asking on important things risks making poor decisions that could reflect poorly on both parties.