Last updated on August 21st, 2018

Forbes Coaches Council  – Top business and career coaches from Forbes Coaches Council offer firsthand insights on leadership development & careers.

As a board of director member, it is your job to oversee the direction of the company. While you have the tenacity and foresight to lead your business, you may find that mistakes are made when it comes to communicating with your employees.

There may not be enough communication with your staff or with other board members, as one of the most common mistakes is a failure to frame your remarks to the appropriate level. You may be oversharing with those that don’t need the information and undersharing with those that do.

To avoid these common communication shortcomings, 15 members of Forbes Coaches Council provide the one mistake boards often make when it comes to conveying their decisions and how they can avoid it. Here is what they recommend:

Dr. Chris Allen: 

Boards commonly make the same mistake that we as humans are vulnerable to, which is to fail to question their assumptions and biases. Social scientists such as Daniel Kahneman and Richard Thaler, both Nobel prize winners, teach us that we are not as rational as we believe ourselves to be. Therefore, board members should ask the questions, “What am I missing?” and “How might I be wrong?” – Christine Allen, Ph.D, Insight Business Works

Read all responses here