As part of the selection as one of the Best Business Books of 2015, Soundview created an Executive Book Summary for The Hidden Leader. My newsletter subscribers can download a free copy by clicking here
Reflections
Signal to Noise Ratio
Sometimes it's hard to decipher exactly what's being said or what you are being told. As others provide explanatory detail, you'll often hear information that while interesting (or not), doesn't really help you understand a message.
In electronics, a measure of signal quality relative to the
background noise is the S/N (signal to noise) ratio.
As a leader, you can't possibly absorb all of the information others are trying to convey to you, so stop trying. You'll be more effective if you focus on increasing the signal by filtering out noise. Much of that noise is the positioning and color commentary others are including, because of how they think you will (or want you to) react to the signal. From overly softening messages, equivocating, imprecise language, and corporate speak you end up with increased noise. Cut through it and get to the accurate, timely, relevant, and usable information that is the real signal.
While you are at it, consider how much noise you may be inadvertently mixing with your signals. One of the most frequent causes of poor performance are misunderstood expectations. What is your S/N ratio?
A slice of life balance
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