Shark Tank judge and entrepreneur Anupam Mittal, addressed one of the crucial issues that employees often face in the corporate world, in a recent post on LinkedIn.The Shaadi.com founder talked about how miscommunication often happens in the industry, just because of the fear of embarrassment. Reflecting on the cultural gap he noticed after spending several years in the US before returning to India, Mittal said that wasn’t a question of talent or work ethic, rather widespread hesitation to seek clarity at work.Mittal pointed out that work would often come back misaligned despite clear instructions and upon asking what was the issue, the most common response was, “I thought that’s what you meant,’” he shared.According to Mittal, in the US, it’s completely normal for people to pause and ask for clarification. Phrases like “Wait, I didn’t get that” or “Can you explain again?” are not only accepted but encouraged.“Coz responsibility of communication lies with the ‘communicator,” he said.Mittal believes that in contrast, Indian office culture often encourages silent agreement, even when employees are confused. The fear of appearing ignorant tends to outweigh the need to understand instructions properly.Mittal believes this reluctance goes deeper than language or confidence; it’s a result of cultural conditioning.“We nod. We say “haan haan, samajh gaya,” Even when we haven’t.” “And then…we go do the opposite,” he added.He further added that people have grown up believing that asking questions is a sign of weakness, whereas “it’s seen as a strength because it shows initiative and a commitment to getting it right.”The issue, he stressed, affects every level of the workplace, from freshers to top executives. To counter this, Mittal now uses three simple strategies:1. Ask people to repeat what they understood2. Watch body language, especially the over-enthusiastic nodders3. Raise the temperature in the room to encourage confrontationHe wrapped up his post with a strong message, “More than articulating well, the purpose of communication is being understood well.”Users applauded Mittal in the comment section for addressing the issue. “Well said! We’ve been conditioned to avoid “looking dumb,” when in reality, asking questions is the smartest thing we can do,” said one user.“Sometimes we just say YES to feel respected among others in the office or boardroom meetings, and later we realize that we could have asked for better clarity,” agreed another.
