Welcome back to the Look and Sound of Leadership, an ongoing series of

executive coaching tips designed to help you be perceived in the workplace the

way you want to be perceived. I'm Tom Henschel, your executive coach, and today we're talking

about answering what's asked. As head of pediatrics for a major metropolitan hospital, Robert believed fiercely in being precise with his language.

People have to know exactly what I mean, he said, and I have to say exactly what I mean. There's no margin for error here. But feedback

from people in the hospital was clear. They couldn't stay focused on what Robert was saying

because of his habit of answering simple questions with endless

expositions.

His boss put it to me this way.

I dread asking him a question because half an hour later he's still talking and I don't

have a clue what he's telling me.

Robert read the feedback in his report and then debated the issue with me.

Like Todd, the Chief Information Officer and the tip called Being Concise, which you can find on our website,

Robert felt that anything less than complete disclosure

was not merely negligent but dangerous.

Luckily Robert loved to learn. He had a supercharged scientific mind and was especially

interested when information was presented to him in models. I asked if I could draw him

a picture. He leaned forward with interest.

Halfway down the page on my pad, I drew a horizontal line that split the page in half.

In the space above the line, I drew three circles below it one. In the first circle above the line I wrote

Y slash N in the second circle E slash O in the third S A. A. I glanced at him and I could tell he was already

trying to crack the code. I had him hooked. Then in the lone circle below the line I wrote the letter E. These four circles I said

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