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Hello KSKOers
One of the most important things I learned from leading a restructure many year ago, was to communicate, communicate, communicate. And when you have nothing to say; communicate some more. Join me as I share with you my experience and five recommendations for good communication and transparency when you’re dealing with big changes that impact lots of people.
Looking forward to having you on our learning journey!
Nia
5 Leadership Tips for Open Communication Dr Nia D Thomas
Withholding Information
If you’re a leader and you’re saying nothing, there’s a presumption that you’re withholding information. I’ve never heard a whisper come along the office grapevine that senior people simply had nothing to say. If a leader is saying nothing, then they’re clearly keeping hold of an important secret that’s far too controversial to share, right?
I can remember setting up a meeting and inviting 100 staff to attend at an end of day meeting. For people attending it meant reducing services, cancelling groups, organising alternative childcare and rearranging standing commitments. Knowing that my agenda was to tell them that there was nothing to tell them, I felt like a bit of a fraud. It was a peculiar position to both be in and put others in. Yet, it also felt absolutely necessary.
Being Invisible
I worked in an organisation once, where the CEO was called The Invisible Man. And I heard, along the grapevine, that he knew it was his nickname. I remember thinking how strange it was for him to allow not only the name but his reputation to perpetuate, unchallenged. If you were called The Invisible Man, wouldn’t you want to do something about it?
Early on in that restructure, I became aware that the rumour mill had been grinding away. Whispers had reached me that people were feeling increasingly unhappy and unsettled. Those who enjoyed a drama were………….
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