Page 204 - The Voice of Authority

Perception or Reality Strategy
Either you’re not being completely Tell the straight truth.
forthright with them—or they
think you’re not. They don’t
trust you.
They’re getting incomplete Give complete information—all you
information. know.
They don’t understand what you Write and speak simply and clearly.
mean. Your message is unclear.
You’re being purposefully evasive to Be direct. Avoid double-speak—for
save face—yours or theirs. whatever reason.
What you’re saying seems inconsis- Make sure your actions, policies, and
tent with what you’re doing. behavior match your words.
They don’t consider you credible Strive to be personally credible—in
—either you don’t look or talk the your appearance, in your language,
part or they don’t like you. and with a pleasant personality.
They think you don’t care about Communicate your concern.
Connect
them personally. They don’t feel a with people individually and as a
connection with you. group.
You’re slow to communicate. Be responsive. Communicate impor-
They’ve heard important informa- tant messages—even bad news
tion from somebody else—and they —quickly.
feel wronged because you didn’t
tell them first.
They think you’re incompetent in Write well. Speak well. Others will
your job because of weak commu- judge your competence in many
nication skills. areas by these most visible skills.
They’re working in isolation, with no Encourage open discussion and
opportunity for input or feedback. feedback in all directions—up the
chain, down the chain, across func-
tional areas, and with customers.

As you put these strategies into practice, you’ll hear
“Why is there no communication around here?” less and
less often. Instead of complaints, cover-ups, and blame,
people will be buzzing with inspiration, ideas, and inno-
vation.

192 The Voice of AuthorityA Final Note