Too much information…
I spent five years as a local school board director, and half of them as the president. Over the course of that time, you can imagine how much “information” I was provided by both school district administrators and community members.
Any time the words “too much” appear in a sentence, that’s a clear indicator that it’s a bad thing. Too much information doesn’t help to make a decision, but rather hinders it. What it does do is lead to becoming overwhelmed and paralyzed in the decision-making process.
While I couldn’t control what I received from community members, I tried to educate my administrators. I told them constantly, “tell me what I need to know, not everything you know.” If I had questions after that, I would ask.
People in charge of supervising or managing other people are guilty of the same thing.
All too frequently, we can give out so many “instructions” that employees are confused, overwhelmed, or (and this is no good), uninterested. This leads to bad efficiency, poor morale, and lack of performance.
Are you guilty of TMI?
Keep my mantra in mind. Tell people what they need to know, not everything you know. And then teach them to do the same down the line.
The results will be beneficial to you, your employees, and your company.
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