Cost of Confusion

Had a blast chatting about my book "Cutting the Cost of Confusion" with Tom Dardick, host of the this compelling podcast series! Bonus discovery: both of us are rock and roll musicians as well! What are the chances?

Clear Communication: Stop The Confusion In Your Organization With Rich Layton — Eye of Power Tom Dardick and Rich Layton discuss the concept of 'the cost of confusion' in organizations, emphasizing the importance of effective communication.

"I assumed you just want the ball because you score a touchdown and win, but I guess that's not the case. I don't totally know the strategy there."

– San Francisco fullback Kyle Juszczyk (Wall Street Journal, 2/14/24)

The NFL introduced new rules for overtime in 2022 that afforded both teams an opportunity to score. This was a dramatic change from the tradition of giving the win to the first team to score. The Kansas City Chiefs made everyone on the team aware of the change and laid out the two scenarios. If they won the coin toss, they would elect to kick off to the opposing team. The rest of the strategy was determined by whether the other team scored, and by the number of points they were able to put on the scoreboard. That number would determine play selection when the Chiefs had their turn with the football. Would they need field goal (3 points), a touchdown (6 points), a touchdown with an extra point kick (7 points), or a touchdown plus a two-point conversion (8 points)?

If the Chiefs lost the coin toss, they would be at the mercy of the other team making the same smart choice – and would have to receive first. The options narrowed considerably: get down the field and score as many points as you can.

In the case of this year's Superbowl, it became obvious that the San Francisco 49ers had not included the overtime rules change in the team's pre-game preparation. After regulation play, the 49ers' team captain won the toss and opted to receive the ball first, leaving everyone on the Chiefs side of the field shocked. San Francisco ceded a critical strategic advantage with that fateful decision.

The best the 49ers could do during their one chance drive was to get a field goal, putting them ahead of the Chiefs by three points. With absolute clarity about their objective, the Chiefs took over the ball and marched steadily toward the 49ers goal line. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes made sure to run down the clock for one last play: a game-winning touchdown pass.

Chapter 3 of my new book "Cutting the Cost of Confusion" focuses on the cost of confusing employees. One of the many ways this happens is when employees are missing the big picture of their organization's mission and strategy. The result leaves individuals in the dark, inhibiting their contributions and preventing their roles from aligning efficiently within the whole.

The details matter too! Communicating changes in the rules and regulations that impact market sectors, governance, and other key functions must be a priority. It reduces risks from non-compliance, preserves competitiveness and protects efficiency.

The high level of clarity instilled by the Kansas City Chief's coaches and staff made all the difference in Superbowl 2024. How well does your organization prepare and communicate it's game-winning strategies?

What does Cutting the Cost of Confusion have to do with Human Resources? EVERYTHING! Proud to announce my first guest spot discussing the new book for 50,000 subscribers of the HR Power Hour. Check out http://hrpowerhour.com

Email from Medicare:
“Have you explored the 58 Medicare Advantage Plans available in your area?”
Seriously??

The new book is available now!

Cutting the Cost of Confusion: Eliminate the High Price of Failure to Communicate Confusion is more than just another daily inconvenience, though its impacts are often hidden in metrics such as market share, productivity, and ROI. This book shows how to identify and eliminate the Cost of Confusion in workplaces, marketplaces, and communities. Cutting that cost demands the ability...

What are the consequences if people don’t understand what an organization needs them to accomplish, to buy, to support, to comply with, to invest in or to vote for? That is the fundamental question that determines the Cost of Confusion.

Now, there is an important new book that reveals how organizations sabotage success by unknowingly confusing customers, employees, patients, taxpayers, and themselves. Readers of "Cutting the Cost of Confusion" will learn how to identify the risks and eliminate their costly impact. If you are still in the work world – and care about effectiveness – this book will equip you to make a genuine difference. Release date is Sept. 11th.

"Cutting the Cost of Confusion" book by Rich Layton Practical tools to help organizations eliminate the high cost of failure to communicate