The average person tells four lies a day. That is about 1,460 false statements per year. The most common lie is: "Everything is fine." We say it quite frequently at home and at work too. The words of rank and file employees may not cause damage. However, what about positions of greater responsibility? This is a question that resonates. Is the average manager able to lie four times per day? Does he behave according to the rules, or wear the opaque mask of a hard-nosed businessman? Maybe "everything is fine" is a lie, but what else could it be, and, worse, what could be the impact of concealed details? The Smart Blogs website has dealt with this topic.
Where is the boundary between confidentiality of information and acceptable communications without irrelevant details?
In many organizations, a polished business mask is an important prerequisite for promotion, and many managers know it. Surely it is not right, nor is it pleasant, if leadership gives employees only snippets of its plans and is very selective in terms of information, instead of providing a consistent channel of communication.
Some managers believe that they cannot disclose everything or tell employees what is actually going on. Presumably, they could not handle it, would stop trying or would not work as hard. Therefore, they communicate information on a “must-know” basis only, mask unpleasant things and wrap them up into a neat "package" that does not scare or discourage employees. How much truthful information does this "package" contain? What is the difference between a leadership that claims "everything is fine ", when in fact it is not?
According to Gary Mitchiner, a management consultant, this masking approach is particularly problematic because employees are sensitive to incoming information and will know if any part of the story is missing. They do not express their concern, but think about it. If they do not know the whole story, they will just fill it in for themselves, and the result may be more harmful than those parts you omitted.
What are the costs?
Here is one example. Find the difference:
"We just lost an important contract and thus X % of company profits. X job positions will perhaps be jeopardized. ... will be affected most"
"Yes, it looks like we will lose the contract, which means a large part of our business, and we are not sure about the impact on jobs, however, we think that everything will be fine and we will keep you informed."
The difference? With the second answer you just told your employees to update their resumes. Your concerns, wrapped up in a neat little statement, is scarier than a specific number that shows what the real situation is.
If you are a leader, here are 5 reasons to communicate transparently:
1. Anyone can learn important lessons from their mistakes.
2. When employees understand all the aspects of a problem, they can also act accordingly and bring about more suitable solutions.
3. Trust is like a boomerang. Once you prove to others that you do not trust them, they will not trust you either.
4. Confessing to mistakes will help create an environment without fear, while dealing with mistakes to learn from for next time.
5. You fool no one if you conceal information. Your employees are smart and with the wealth of information available, they can put two and two together. They will be suspicious of you.
Everything is about trust, which must come from the leadership. If the leadership makes a statement, then trust supports it or destroys it by the lack thereof. You certainly do not want your company to be classified as the latter case. What steps do you take in your company to promote trust?
-bn-