It was a good experience to be taught to 'answer questions directly'
A conversation between the sales and construction departments one day.
(Sales) 'When will the shelf boards for the XX residence be finished?'
(Construction) 'Oh, for that, I installed about 80% of them today.'
It feels completely off, and the conversation isn't even functioning in the first place.
The person asking and the person being asked. If you work, these kinds of questions are repeated daily, but aren't most of them just wasted questions?
Information is shared without having to ask.
Personally, this state is ideal. Since you don't have to ask about every little thing, no conversational stress occurs.
Back to the conversation.
It is obvious that the construction person is the problem. If they think this response is correct, that in itself is the problem. They don't understand what they are being asked or what they should answer. They can't even grasp the intent of the question. They are someone who needs guidance.
The sales person must be thinking, 'No, no, I'm asking when it will be finished' inside. However, they backed down without asking. I think there are various reasons, such as being younger, having a weaker position, or being afraid of the construction person, but the same problem is likely to occur again in the future.
About 10 years ago, a consultant joined the company I worked for as an outside director. I thought, 'An outside director for a small company of about 15 people...', but the company changed dramatically.
I didn't even know what a consultant did until then, so it took time to get used to it. What I was taught there was 'logical thinking'.
That was also when I first encountered terms like 'logic tree' and 'MECE'. If you didn't understand what they were saying, you couldn't keep up with the consultant. It was a time when I studied many things.
At that time, I was always told, 'Answer questions directly'.
The only thing to actually answer with is facts. If you don't know, 'I don't know' is the correct answer. There is no room for emotion there.
If there is some awkward circumstance, one might mumble 'uh...', but it is immediately seen through that it is strange.
However, this interaction is more often a good thing.
Ultimately, the reason the person taking responsibility (the boss) asks what they want to hear is to keep work running smoothly and eliminate problems.
However, the person receiving instructions (the subordinate) reflects their own appearance or the day's emotions into their work. That attitude is the problem.
'Answer questions directly'
This became an internal company rule. As a result, even among employees, not just between bosses and subordinates, more employees began to answer directly. They realized they didn't need to engage in the useless consideration of it being hard to say.
The situation where you have to ask questions is the biggest problem. Because it stops the flow. If the person stopping the flow doesn't even answer questions properly, they should first start by answering properly. Discarding strange preconceptions and becoming a person who answers questions directly is the top priority.
Returning to the conversation again, if there is even an internal rule like, 'Excuse me, I would like you to answer directly; could you give me the date for when it will be completed?' then you can press them a bit harder.
I wrote 'press', but I'm not really pressing them. I'm just trying to correct someone who isn't following the rules.
Useless interactions not only waste employees' time, but no work gets done. It's a vicious cycle.
That is why the system exists. Even for employees who don't understand, it is important to make them think, 'I must answer questions directly.'
Even now, what that consultant said crosses my mind.
'Was that answer direct?'
A rule that has soaked into your body is strong. Because you can carry it out as a matter of course.
What the consultant taught me is still useful today. I am grateful for the time I was able to spend learning, which was a valuable experience.