Effective Communication: How to make a Peanut Butter Sandwich

I think one of the biggest setbacks we all face is a lack of effective communication. Both personal and professional aspects of our lives are influenced quite often from not effectively communicating. I was able to experience this first hand at a management workshop that I had the opportunity to attend. It was so enlightening and humorous that I knew I wanted to share it with all of you…

The instructor asked for 2 volunteers. One would give the other instructions on how to make a peanut butter sandwich and they would not be able to see each other. The direction giver had to use 10 easy to follow steps and the direction follower had to do EXACTLY what he was told and the only question he was allowed to ask was “how”. Everything was laid out on the table; a plate, knife, jar of peanut butter, and bottle of jam.

Some of the highlights of the lesson were VERY funny to watch. A whole loaf of bread (that was still in the bag) became covered in peanut butter (he had failed to tell him to open the bag and remove a slice of bread) and the whole bottle of jam was placed on top of the sealed loaf of bread that was already covered in peanut butter (this was because he instructed him to take the jam and put it on the peanut butter that he just put on the bread). 

The workshop, while very humorous, allowed me to observe effective communication in a different perspective. It made me see how it is so important when speaking to that other individual to ensure that we provide enough information for both parties to succeed. I was able to observe that the person who was giving the directions on how to make the peanut butter sandwich was even more frustrated than the person trying to do what was asked of him.

In the exercise the direction follower was only allowed to ask ‘how”, but each time the direction giver heard “how” he became more frustrated saying “what do you mean how just take the bread!” He wasn’t really listening; he was taking for granted that the other individual should know what he meant.

Most all of us take for granted that our friend, coworker, employee, acquaintance, sweetheart, child, etc. will know what we mean. When we are instructing or asking something of someone we often only give a brief summary of what we want and presume they will know the rest. We let our previous experiences with others get in the way of dealing with new people and often don’t provide enough information.

I like to think of communication as a scale that needs to balance. On one side is the giver and the other side is the receiver. If only one side is active then the scale will not balance. What I mean by this is even if you are the greatest communicator in the world it will not mean anything if you do not get feedback from the other side of the scale. It will not balance. Remember communication is a 2-way street. Ensure that your scale always has a sense of balance…you will be amazed at how it can change your life! 

Comparison of Leadership Theories (Path-Goal & Situational)

Path-Goal Leadership

The path-goal leadership theory, as the name implies, is the path to accomplishing goals through increasing employee motivation. A leader’s role can be divided into two categories, the path to the end result and the rewards which will be tailored to achieve the desired motivation. In this theory, it is the leadership behavior which is changed based on the situation. It’s important to remember a leader is responsible for defining goals, clear a path, and eliminate any hurdles, by doing these three things, a leader can help their followers achieve their goals. Leadership behaviors can be broken down into four categories;

•  Supportive: leadership is based on supporting the needs of the employee, and fosters team building.

•  Directive: this leadership style the employees are told exactly what to do and how to do it. Leaders ensure proper procedure is followed.

•  Achievement-oriented: goals are set and employees are encouraged to continuously improve.

•  Participative styles: leaders encourage support from the team. Employees participate in the decisions being made.

  

Situational Leadership

The situational leadership theory involves the abilities/attitudes of the employees and the situation itself. This theory is divvied into four styles, which all have to do with the difference in the willingness of the employees. The leadership style utilized in a particular situation will depend on the follower’s readiness or maturity as described by Warren Blank, Stephen Green, and John R. Weitzel in their article “A Test of the Situational Leadership Theory”. 

•  Directing: there is an increased concern for the established goals and less for the employee. The leader provided complete instructions. (Low follower readiness)

•  Coaching: equal attention is paid to both the task and employees. (Moderate follower readiness)

•  Supporting: increased attention towards supporting the followers and less on the task, participation from the followers in decision making is encouraged. (High follower readiness)

•  Entrusting: responsibility is given to the team for the given task. Very little support or direction is given to the team. (Very high follower readiness)

Theory comparison

The path-goal and Situational leadership theories both have their similarities and differences. The main focus of the path-goal theory is motivation, what the followers need to complete the task. In contrast, the situational theory is based on the readiness or maturity of the followers; how capable are they? Within each of the two theories, the breakdown of styles is very similar. They both have a directing category in which the leader’s main attention is given to providing directions, and a supporting style which fosters team building and encourages followers to participate in the decision making.

I believe the path-goal theory is the most effective. This leadership theory motivates the followers to perform and the tasks are clearly set and goals communicated; hence, rewards are a large factor in achieving the set goals. 

Similar to the situational theory, the leadership behavior is determined by how capable the followers are. Whether a leader chooses the path-goal or situational theory, I believe people skills play an important role. A leader needs to effectively understand what motivates the followers and what they are capable of doing. By relying on their people skills, leaders can ensure they utilize the proper leadership style; for example, morale could be greatly affected if a directing style is used with highly competent staff. Likewise, the end result may be undesirable if an entrusting style is used with staff who are not competent and require more direction.

References

Blank, W., Weitzel, J. R., & Green, S. G. (1990). A Test of the Situational Leadership Theory. Personnel Psychology, 43(3), 579-597.

Daft, R. L. (2014). The leadership experience (Sixth ed.). Australia: Cengage Learning

Landrum, N., & Daily, C. (2012). Corporate Accountability: A Path-Goal Perspective.        International Journal of Business Insights & Transformation, 450-62.