5 Challenges That Get in the Way of Effective Communication

— And How to Rise Above Them

In the first blog, we explored the 5 keys to effective communication — connection,

authenticity, curiosity, clarity, and more. But if communication were easy, the world would be full of thriving teams, peaceful families, and aligned organizations. The truth is, communication breaks down all the time. Why? Because real human beings are involved.

After 25 years in leadership, here are the challenges I see most often — the ones that derail conversations, strain relationships, and keep leaders stuck. More importantly, here’s how to rise above them.

1. Assumptions and the Stories We Tell Ourselves

Assumptions are silent saboteurs.  Here is a simplified story of an owner/property manager that met a visitor who was looking for a person using a room within the space of another tenant. It was a short term situation, but the owner made an assumption that the tenant was subleasing space.  The assumption was incorrect, but challenges an already difficult relationship.  It is unfortunate that the visitor did not follow completely explained instructions on where they could be located.  But that does not change the assumption and story that the owner acted on. 

It is so easy for people to default to conclusions without ever asking a question. This is how simple misunderstandings turn into conflict, frustration, and “egg on the face.”

Assumptions cost far more than time — they cost relationships.

How to overcome it:

• Replace assumption with curiosity.

• Ask clarifying questions early.

• Remember: What you don’t know will hurt you — especially if you act like you do.

2. Avoiding Difficult Conversations

Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott calls this out: we often avoid conversations not because they’re hard, but because they’re real. When we avoid naming the issue, nothing improves. Burnout comes not from solving problems, but from solving the same problem over and over because we didn’t have the right conversation.

How to overcome it:

• Name the issue clearly and kindly.

• Invite the other person into the conversation.   Get their perspective.  (Important tip!!: Get their perspective BEFORE you share yours.  You could be enlightened so much that you no longer have an issue.)

• Let the problem be the problem — not the person.

There’s a fine line among the next three challenges; nevertheless, there are small differences, so we’ll include them.

3. Poor Listening: Doing Most of the Talking

One of the greatest communication mistakes in one-to-ones is leaders talking too much and listening too little. When we talk more than we listen, we gain information but lose insight.

How to overcome it:

• Give the gift of full attention — one of the core Fierce Conversations principles.

• Allow silence to do the heavy lifting.

• Ask deeper questions and reflect what you’re hearing.

4. Unclear Direction, Vague Expectations, and Confusing Communication

In a fast-paced, $100M+, 300-person manufacturing operation, a leader assigned an urgent task to verify cycle times at each station, suspecting incremental “creep” in robot programming. He provided instructions and a simple spreadsheet, then sent the leadership team out, confident the job would get done. Minutes later, his assistant informed him that the team was upset. Seeking feedback, he learned he had unintentionally derailed their day. By abruptly shifting priorities without involving them, he had overlooked the other demands they were managing and failed to collaborate on what success would look like or what support they needed.

The feedback revealed a significant blind spot: he had communicated to the team, not with them. He also discovered the verification process was more complex than he assumed and would overwhelm the operation if everyone shifted focus at once. Through discussion, the group revised the plan—assigning the task to a smaller team supported by engineering and controls. Although not all verifications were completed, they identified the stations with the greatest impact and established a prioritized plan for future work.

Ultimately, he recognized that “showing up” requires aligning intentions with actions. His intentions were good, but his approach fell short. Thanks to candid feedback, he saw the gap and learned a better way to lead.

How to overcome it:

• Define what “done” looks like — together.

• Clarify priorities, timelines, and expectations.

• Check for understanding, don’t assume it.

• Invite feedback on how your communication is landing.

5. Misaligned Intentions vs. Perceptions

Leaders often believe they’re showing up one way — supportive, encouraging, collaborative — yet the team experiences something else entirely. The result? Frustration, disengagement, and breakdowns in trust. This goes back to the previous story of  the leader in the manufacturing company, and the confusion he created.

How to overcome it:

• Ask for feedback from peers, your team, and your leaders.

• Stay open instead of defensive.

• Reflect on the gaps between how you hope to show up and how others experience you.

This is humility in action.

The High Cost of Poor Communication

SHRM highlights the staggering financial impact: companies with 100,000 employees lose an average of $62.4 million per year due to communication failures. Even small organizations lose hundreds of thousands. Beyond dollars, poor communication drains morale, growth, trust, engagement, and culture.

How to overcome it:

• Treat communication as a leadership competency, not an afterthought.

• Invest in training, feedback loops, and leadership development.

• Remember: effective communication is not soft — it is strategic.

Communication Can Be Learned, Practiced, and Strengthened

These challenges are real, but they are not permanent. When leaders commit to curiosity instead of assumption, clarity instead of confusion, courage instead of avoidance, and connection instead of control, communication transforms.

If you haven’t yet read Blog 1: “The 5 Keys to Effective Communication,” go back and start there. The keys give you the foundation; this blog gives you the obstacles — and together, they give you the roadmap to becoming an exceptional communicator and leader.

And if you are looking to improve your team’s effectiveness in the areas of communication, especially its ability to impact on your culture, we could have a conversation about a diagnostic tool that we at Leadership Harbor are finding extremely helpful.

Brian