Style 1: The Dick Cheney
Definition: Everything -- and I mean EVERYTHING -- is a secret. Nothing should be shared with anyone unless you have at least two NDAs and a "need to know".
Anything you are told should be kept to yourself. Discussing ANYTHING with ANYONE is immediate grounds for termination (and we're not talking just getting fired here).
Ok, so that definition was a little overkill. I don't really know anyone who is like that. (Well, maybe one person.) But you get the idea. This type of leader doesn't want to share information. It's not that he doesn't have any information to share, it's that he wants to protect ideas and keep people focused on what they are doing. The thought is that information that could be construed as negative might cause employees to leave the company out of fear or that one of the employees might leak that information to an outside source and it could be used against the company by competitors. This CEO also believes that some negative information might cause some customers to lose faith in the company and thus the company could lose business.
Pros: This communication style definitely prevents any information that shouldn't be shared from leaking.
Cons: The biggest problem with this communication style is that misinformation is often more damning than real information. Employees, customers and analysts can all tell when something is wrong. There are usually other signs that can't be kept secret. As soon as anyone starts to notice these signs, they start trying to figure out what the reasons are. If they aren't given the real reason, they will inevitably start thinking about what the reasons might be. Just like nature, information abhors a vacuum, and stories will be made to fill the void. Most of the time, these stories will be much more dramatic than the truth. These fabricated stories will get shared and will often cause more disruption and damage than the real stories.
Style 2: The Fairy Tale Teller
Definition: No matter what this CEO says, it always has a happy ending. Everything is sunshine and clear skies. No matter what the truth is, the CEO tells everyone that the company couldn't be doing better and everyone will probably be millionaires in a couple of years. No matter how bad the news is, there is always some sort of hopeful message presented even when there is no hope. This is the sort of leader whose employees will come in to work one morning and be shocked to learn that the company just went out of business.
Pros: People naturally like to believe good news. It seems to be somehow ingrained into human nature to believe a happy story. It makes people feel good and happy employees are generally productive.
Cons: Often, this communication style comes from a leader who not only wants to keep employees productive, but is also afraid of confronting real problems. If you only give your employees good news, they won't understand what they might be doing wrong as a company. They won't know what to do differently to fix some of the very real problems that might need fixing. Most employees WANT a company to be successful and they want to contribute to that success. But they can't help fix things if they don't know what the problems are.
Style 3: The Under Communicator
Definition: This CEO tries to communicate, but doesn't do an effective job. She will make a statement, but not provide a complete explanation. This person might walk into a room and make a statement such as, "I have to go call our accountant about a problem now." And leave it at that. Everyone else is left wondering if the company is going to be able to meet payroll while the truth might be that she just wanted to make sure that the wads of extra cash in the company's bank account are invested properly.
Pros: At least the employees get SOME information about what's happening.
Cons: This communication style is almost as bad as The Dick Cheney. Information that is left unsaid will be filled in by employees overactive imaginations. It often leads to rumors or unfounded worry. The lesson here is that if you are going to say something, you need to provide sufficient context for everyone in earshot to have a complete understanding. They can't read your mind and often won't know what you mean unless you back up and tell the whole story.
Style 4: The Great Communicator
Definition: There is a reason that Ronald Reagan was called the Great Communicator. A CEO like Reagan will explain his thoughts, provide context, back up statements with facts, won't pull punches and will provide praise when it's due. When times are bad, he will fully explain the problems to his employees and will have confidence that they will help the company do what is needed to surmount those obstacles. When times are good, he will provide praise, celebrate and then challenge the company to achieve even more.
Pros: Good communication is one key to making sure you have engaged, hard working, committed employees who feel like they are a valued and trusted part of the company.
Cons: This communication style does not come naturally to most people. You have to work at it. It means setting aside time that you dedicate to thinking about what you will say to your company and making the effort to communicate with your employees. It means being thoughtful about what you say and how you say it. It means knowing your employees well enough to provide the useful context that will engage and encourage them.
What kind of communicator are you? What will it take for you to become a great communicator? Its never too late to become the kind of communicator you should be. Take some time today to communicate with your staff. They'll appreciate it.
Ok, so that definition was a little overkill. I don't really know anyone who is like that. (Well, maybe one person.) But you get the idea. This type of leader doesn't want to share information. It's not that he doesn't have any information to share, it's that he wants to protect ideas and keep people focused on what they are doing. The thought is that information that could be construed as negative might cause employees to leave the company out of fear or that one of the employees might leak that information to an outside source and it could be used against the company by competitors. This CEO also believes that some negative information might cause some customers to lose faith in the company and thus the company could lose business.
Pros: This communication style definitely prevents any information that shouldn't be shared from leaking.
Cons: The biggest problem with this communication style is that misinformation is often more damning than real information. Employees, customers and analysts can all tell when something is wrong. There are usually other signs that can't be kept secret. As soon as anyone starts to notice these signs, they start trying to figure out what the reasons are. If they aren't given the real reason, they will inevitably start thinking about what the reasons might be. Just like nature, information abhors a vacuum, and stories will be made to fill the void. Most of the time, these stories will be much more dramatic than the truth. These fabricated stories will get shared and will often cause more disruption and damage than the real stories.
Style 2: The Fairy Tale Teller
Definition: No matter what this CEO says, it always has a happy ending. Everything is sunshine and clear skies. No matter what the truth is, the CEO tells everyone that the company couldn't be doing better and everyone will probably be millionaires in a couple of years. No matter how bad the news is, there is always some sort of hopeful message presented even when there is no hope. This is the sort of leader whose employees will come in to work one morning and be shocked to learn that the company just went out of business.
Pros: People naturally like to believe good news. It seems to be somehow ingrained into human nature to believe a happy story. It makes people feel good and happy employees are generally productive.
Cons: Often, this communication style comes from a leader who not only wants to keep employees productive, but is also afraid of confronting real problems. If you only give your employees good news, they won't understand what they might be doing wrong as a company. They won't know what to do differently to fix some of the very real problems that might need fixing. Most employees WANT a company to be successful and they want to contribute to that success. But they can't help fix things if they don't know what the problems are.
Style 3: The Under Communicator
Definition: This CEO tries to communicate, but doesn't do an effective job. She will make a statement, but not provide a complete explanation. This person might walk into a room and make a statement such as, "I have to go call our accountant about a problem now." And leave it at that. Everyone else is left wondering if the company is going to be able to meet payroll while the truth might be that she just wanted to make sure that the wads of extra cash in the company's bank account are invested properly.
Pros: At least the employees get SOME information about what's happening.
Cons: This communication style is almost as bad as The Dick Cheney. Information that is left unsaid will be filled in by employees overactive imaginations. It often leads to rumors or unfounded worry. The lesson here is that if you are going to say something, you need to provide sufficient context for everyone in earshot to have a complete understanding. They can't read your mind and often won't know what you mean unless you back up and tell the whole story.
Style 4: The Great Communicator
Definition: There is a reason that Ronald Reagan was called the Great Communicator. A CEO like Reagan will explain his thoughts, provide context, back up statements with facts, won't pull punches and will provide praise when it's due. When times are bad, he will fully explain the problems to his employees and will have confidence that they will help the company do what is needed to surmount those obstacles. When times are good, he will provide praise, celebrate and then challenge the company to achieve even more.
Pros: Good communication is one key to making sure you have engaged, hard working, committed employees who feel like they are a valued and trusted part of the company.
Cons: This communication style does not come naturally to most people. You have to work at it. It means setting aside time that you dedicate to thinking about what you will say to your company and making the effort to communicate with your employees. It means being thoughtful about what you say and how you say it. It means knowing your employees well enough to provide the useful context that will engage and encourage them.
What kind of communicator are you? What will it take for you to become a great communicator? Its never too late to become the kind of communicator you should be. Take some time today to communicate with your staff. They'll appreciate it.
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1 comments:
Thanks for the compliment. There's a lot more to be said about this topic. It should be on the short list of "traits in a CEO that can make or break a company."
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