If I had a dollar for every time I sat in a meeting thinking, “Wow… this could have been done in an email,” I’d probably have my own private jet by now. Over the years, I’ve had a front-row seat to communication faux pas in just about every environment you can imagine: the classroom, the boardroom, and the war room (well, not really, but the military musician equivalent of a war room…). And let me tell you, there are certain truths that are universal when it comes to communication…at all levels.

Today you’re getting my (slightly) tongue-in-cheek (but also very real) take on what I’ve learned about communication at work.

1. Having the title of “manager” doesn’t automatically make you a good leader.

Don’t come for me on this. If you have been in the workplace for more than 5 minutes, you know just how true it is. Just because you have the title doesn’t mean your team looks at you and thinks, “Wow, what a visionary leader!” More often than not, they’re thinking, “Can this guy just stop...