In a fast-paced, market-driven organization, planning tends to be a bothersome task. If a plan does exist, it was probably pieced together at a recent management retreat and is gathering dust on a shelf alongside plans from previous years. One by one, each well-intentioned strategy died a quiet death, drowned in a sea of unforeseen […]

Without The Upward Voice in place to clarify expectations and neutralize negativity an organization is opening the door to frequent communications calamities between the upper and lower levels. Just such a situation is illustrated by the following true story: Picture a small city run by a city manager who was under pressure to justify the […]

Research shows that the primary reason chief executives and senior managers fail is not from a lack of skills or abilities, but rather from not being aware of information that could negatively impact their organization. People at the decision-making level need to hear the voice of truth from those closest to the problem who deal […]

As people are drawn together in the workplace, their beliefs, values, and practices are bound to create differing opinions and attitudes. Keeping silent about these differences as though they do not exist—adding them to the list of unresolved issues—erects artificial barriers, stifles fruitful dialogue, and drives well intentioned people apart. The longer the list, the […]

What you do not know can, and ultimately does, hurt you and potentially others, too. Instead of keeping negative information hidden, what you want others to do is tell it like it is or at least let you know when something is amiss. Communicating honestly, even when it raises tempers, will ultimately pull people together […]

Comparing the flow of information in a functional and a dysfunctional organization can best be illustrated by thinking of an hourglass. An hourglass is a device that measures time by the flow of sand between the upper and lower chambers. A narrow opening between the upper and lower chambers controls the flow. Imagine the hourglass […]

The vitality of any organization depends on its ability to respond to disruption with minimum upheaval. Disruption is much more subtle than change and thus more difficult to discern and detect. If you miss it when it first slips into your world, it will surely reappear. The abrupt onset of disorder and disarray are the […]

The speed of innovation is accelerating and embracing the future is the way to stay competitive, but there is more to it than jumping from one short-term fix to another. A future-focused strategy must have a marked beginning and a measurable ending. When these factors are not present; followers eventually lose faith in their leader. […]

Personality clashes, unmet expectations and resistive coworkers are among the primary causes of behavioral-based conflict in the workplace. Without an effective resolution process, no work unit can continue to function effectively. When evaluating the need for a conflict management program, be aware that unresolved conflict is directly related to job satisfaction – as job satisfaction […]

Most of us prefer to tell the truth and expect others to be honest with us in return. More importantly, we expect coworkers to communicate bad news graciously and to offer criticism objectively. Timeliness is also a key factor. Waiting for the right moment, or putting it off until the recipient is in a good […]