Management Information |
The Dog That Didnt Bark
A few weeks ago, after consultations with others in an association I represent, I made a partnership pitch to another organization with similar interests. If the idea comes to fruition, it will radically change our organization. So, you can imagine my impatience when I didn't hear back from the person to whom I'd made the proposal. She had welcomed the idea, but a decision would be made by a council within her organization. Given the dynamics of an important decision about the future of their organization, I didn't expect a quick decision. But, I would have liked at least a phone call saying the council had accepted, rejected, or was still considering the idea. Then, I had a "Eureka" or maybe I should call it a "Whoops" moment. I realized I hadn't reported back to the people in my organization either. That made me guilty of the same lapse of communication as the lady in the other organization. With that recognition, I made amends by sending out an email and followed up with a report at a meeting. In taking an analytical view of this incident, I realized that nothing can be something when it comes to communication. The idea that nothing can be something seems counter-intuitive. But, you may remember the famous Sherlock Holmes observation about the dog that didn't bark (the fictitious detective solved a baffling case by noting what did not happen, rather than what did happen). You can probably come up with several ideas about the importance of communicating, too, even though nothing has changed. That's especially true if you're the one who didn't hear from someone else. First, you may have made plans that assume either a change or a continuation of the status quo. Perhaps you're holding off on holiday plans until the issue is resolved one way or the other. Second, at least you know an anticipated decision or event hasn't yet occurred, and that you didn't miss something (for example, as I write this I'm waiting for a client to confirm some information and it would be nice to know that I haven't missed a callback or an emailed reply). Third, if you've received an update telling you nothing has happened, you don't need to contact that person and ask if there have been any developments. Similarly, you can advise the people who look to you for information. One other note: This might be a variation on what I call the Everybody Knows syndrome. That's a decision not to communicate, based on the assumption that others know what I know. For example, I might not tell anyone the office will be closed between Christmas Day and New Year's Day because I think everyone should know that, which is likely a bad assumption on my part. In summary, if the issue is important, communicate frequently, even if nothing has happened. Something is nothing when you or others wait impatiently for news. Robert F. Abbott writes and publishes Abbott's Communication Letter, a free newsletter that delivers communication ideas for leaders and managers. Read more communication articles at http://www.communication-newsletter.com .
MORE RESOURCES: Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting |
RELATED ARTICLES
Have You Fixed the Broken Window? Left alone it doesn't take long for a building with a single broken window to rapidly become a building with many broken windows. Fixing problems when they are small will prevent them from developing into larger problems. Ten Relationship Traits And Skills For Good Leadership An important aspect of good leadership is the ability to work and relate with others. When creating and building your unique leadership style consistently developing relational skills is a priority. Must Project Managers Be Technically Savvy? "Must Project Managers be technically savvy?" This topic always seems to cause quite a stir. While some believe that all you need to manage a project is a PMP certification, others are convinced that you can't successfully manage a software development project unless you truly understand the intricacies of the product. Working with Hearing Impaired Employees - Giving Them a Fair Go Hearing impaired people often encounter difficulty at workbecause their disability isn't visible. I'd like to relateto you, briefly, the sorry saga of a young man who has recently been dragged through a performance managementprocess, essentially brought about by misunderstanding,frustration on his behalf, and failure by an employer tomake a 'reasonable adjustment' [Australian law includes the concept of reasonable adjustment which in effect means that employers are required to make reasonable adjustments necessary to enable employment opportunities for disabled people]in relation to this person's employment. Improved Communication to Improve Results Facilitating good communication can make the difference between a well oiled, effective team and disorganization and ambiguity. By following the tips below, you, the supervisor, can take steps toward improving communication with your employees:1. Innovation Management: The Quality and Quantity of the Idea Pool Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are distinct processes that enhance problem identification and idea generation and, similarly, distinct processes that enhance idea selection, development and commercialisation. On The Job Training is Something You Canâ??t Afford to Skip Trained employees are more productive employees; thereâ??s no doubt about that. Whether youâ??re your only employee or whether youâ??ve got a growing staff, put OJT (on the job training) at the top of your To-Do list. Budgets that Damage - The Downsides of Making the Numbers In my organisational career, I had budgets from the age of 22 to 47. I lived and breathed them and many times, budgets, the gospel that they were, caused havoc, albeit within the corporate retailer framework that I worked. Resistance - How to Handle It Do you ever meet with resistance from other people - I betyou do! It might be a customer, a colleague, a member ofyour team or even someone in your personal life. Dealingwith resistance or objections is one of the biggestchallenges faced by business people; so let's consider whywe get resistance and how we can handle it. New Leadership For A New War Military analysts call this "asymmetrical" war (as if war has a terrible symmetry); and we know that it will be as different from conventional war as three-dimensional, blindfolded chess is from conventional chess. But one thing is certain, leadership lies at the heart of achieving victory. Leadership Skills Recent studies have shown that industrial supervisors are working at less than 60% of their potential. Basic management skills training is guaranteed to change all this and at such little cost. Christmas Carol Coaching - Help to Get Ahead at Holiday Time! I've always been fascinated by situations where art imitates real life and right here is a perfect example, which links Christmas and business & personal development.If you want to read about a serious piece of dodgy people management (bordering on potential litigation); a man all adrift with the world and himself; shown how to do it by three visionary experiences (and with a brilliant example of supportive team-building thrown in); and then the ultimate Christmas 'shift'? These are all brilliantly described for your pleasure in a seasonal read of 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens. Resolving Needs - What Your Employees Wish For! For your people, they want to do a great job - no, really, despite your experiences, they do. And what might seem to 'the management' the important things, just don't stack in the day-to-day reality of the workplace. Communication, Feedback, and Participation: Three Easy Tidbits For Smarter Business On communication: One of the biggest strains on the communication process occurs when the sender or receiver is experiencing stress, anger, or frustration either at work or at home. When a situation is emotionally charged, it is difficult to express yourself clearly and maintain a positive communication relationship. 7 Steps To Hire The Best You can use this step-by-step method to hire applicants who are likely to be "superstar" employees:- highly productive- low-turnoverImportant: Focus on hiring applicants you rate positively on all seven prediction methods.1st Prediction Method = Brief Initial Screening InterviewIf an applicant's application looks suitable, then conduct BISI, a customized 15-30 minute over-phone or in-person interview. Why Good Enough... Isnt About a year ago, I had an opportunity to have dinner with the CEO of an engineering startup company in Pennsylvania. As we discussed engineering design matters over Chinese food, he took a few moments to talk about his business philosophy. Tales From the Corporate Frontlines: Managerial Influence This article relates to the Manager/Supervisor competency, commonly evaluated in employee satisfaction surveys. This competency evaluates an employee's feelings regarding their direct manager or supervisor. 7 Tips for Growing Your Business You Do Not Want to Ignore: Business Strategies To Easily Implement Growing companies must always be ready for the next challenge. If you fail in meeting critical business challenges you will not grow. Turn Your Speech Into A Leadership Talk My experience working with thousands of leaders world wide for the past two decades teaches me that most leaders are screwing up their careers.On a daily basis, these leaders are getting the wrong results or the right results in the wrong ways. Strategic Clarity for Communication Management Over the past few weeks I've been developing plans for a communication project, a media relations campaign.That's prompted me to reflect again on the communication management process by which we transform communication ideas into operational activities. |
home | site map | contact us |