I get it. Information is a hot commodity. Data is equal to cash in today’s world. It’s the currency our world functions on because we all work together, trading, buying, and selling data. We need to ensure our active listening skills work.

Data is transferred between people, from their heads into your ears. If they fail to communicate their message adequately, that’s when mistakes happen. Other factors go into processing and retrieving information, like stress, lots of input from several different entities, or traumatic events, like a tragic death. These all weigh heavy on the person trying to convey any message. These outside stressors, like an auditor reviewing your caseload, mean a high chance that anything you try to communicate will be misheard, misunderstood, or misinterpreted. Will you be reprimanded if you are the direct report and not the supervisor? More than likely, the answer is yes.

But what happens if you are the supervisor who miscommunicates your intentions? Most of the time, nothing. Because your immediate supervisors will give you a break, recognizing the outside stressors impact your decision-making skills. Will they always be so understanding? Not after the third or fourth time. But if it’s only happened one time? I’ll be they will be quick to let it go. Your supervisor should understand that, too, if only it were that easy!

Because if you fail to communicate accurately, you only have one person to blame.

You.