When Everyone Should Know, But No One Really Does
One of the most common communication breakdowns I see isn’t about too little information — it’s about unanchored information. Leaders assume others — board members, managers, staff — already understand what they know. After all:
They’ve said it before.
Or it’s in the packet.
Or it’s on the website.
But there’s a world of difference between having information and understanding it. Without context, even the best updates land like puzzle pieces with no picture on the box.
🧩 The Missing Foundation
A leader asks their board to help with strategic planning, but many members still don’t fully understand the scope of the organization’s work — especially when programs have changed or expanded. The updates may be accurate, but without a shared framework, they’re unmoored.
Or, when a sensitive employee issue arises, some stakeholders push for quick, simple fixes — unaware of the ethical, legal, or cultural layers underneath. It’s not that they don’t care; they just don’t know.
Information doesn’t create understanding. Context does.
👀 The Leadership Blind Spot
Leaders often forget how much they know — and how hard it is for others to keep up.
They live inside the details every day (and often on weekends, too). They’re steeped in nuance, history, and pressure. So when others — even committed board members or mid-level managers — don’t seem fluent in the same details, it’s frustrating.
But here’s the reality: commitment and proximity aren’t the same thing. Others may care deeply but see only part of the picture. They’re not in every meeting or conversation. That’s not disinterest — it’s reality.
The mistake leaders make is assuming that catching people up means re-teaching the obvious. It doesn’t. It means creating the conditions for partnership. When you meet people where they are, they can add real value. When you don’t, they can’t — and everyone loses.
🏗️ Building the Groundwork
The fix isn’t more updates. It’s a stronger foundation.
Start with onboarding — and keep building from there. Because people absorb information differently. Some read. Some listen. Some need to see. The goal is to make understanding accessible, not just available.
Here are a few ways to do that:
Comprehensive Onboarding — and Annual Refreshers: Orientation shouldn’t end once someone joins. Create an annual refresher for managers and board members — even the veterans. Experience narrows focus; people remember what touches their world. Refreshers reconnect them to the full landscape and close the quiet gaps that form over time.
State of the Organization Town Hall: Once or twice a year, host a short, accessible update that connects milestones, challenges, and goals. Let stakeholders hear the big picture directly and ask questions in real time. Short, clear, repeatable — that’s what sticks.
One-Page FAQs: Each time a new program launches, prepare a quick reference sheet:
What is it?
Why does it matter?
Who does it serve?
How does it fit into the mission?
Three-Minute Videos: Create quick explainers on your mission, governance, or programs. These can live on your website or intranet and save countless hours of re-explaining later.
Resource Library: Keep a clean, up-to-date repository of key materials: strategic plan, org chart, policies, program summaries. Make it easy to find and even easier to navigate.
Mission Moments: Start board and staff meetings with a short story or update that ties a current topic back to your mission. It keeps purpose visible and language consistent.
🔄 From Information to Understanding
The goal of communication isn’t to push data — it’s to build meaning. When leaders invest in shared context — through onboarding, refreshers, and multi-format tools — they stop talking at people and start engaging with them. Updates begin to land. Partners begin to contribute.
Because people can only support what they understand. And understanding doesn’t happen by accident. It happens by design.