Page 190 - The Voice of Authority

always being the one in the spotlight making all the an-
nouncements, leading all the meetings, and breaking all
the news yourself. Briefing others ahead of time and letting
them pass on information makes them feel important and
part of the process. They’ll have to answer day-to-day
questions anyway, so you might as well fold them into the
thick of the information process rather than keep them on
the sidelines.

Spin Ideas Up

Those on the front lines typically suffer from the who-am-
I-to-tell-you syndrome. If it’s a new moneymaking or
money-saving idea, the mindset is, “If I thought of it,
surely you’ve already thought of it too.” The result: No-
body passes the idea upward.
If it’s bad news, the mindset is, “Hide it and it will go
away.” The result: Nobody corrects the problem until ei-
ther it’s too late or until delay makes the problem much
worse.
If it’s dissatisfaction, the
Say and do something mindset is, “They surely
positive that will help must already know about it
the situation; it doesn’t and just don’t care.” The re-
take any brains to com- sult: People stay and create
plain. trouble, or they leave and
create a hole.
—Robert A. Cook
By anybody’s observa-
tion, great ideas rarely rise
to the top on their own.
Leaders put systems and people in an open culture that
spins ideas to the surface. Managing upward means spin-
ning new ideas up to your boss as part of the value you
contribute.

178 The Voice of Authority