Page 48 - The Voice of Authority

The Risk of Broken Limbs or Promises
Good news can also be a problem. Some people fear pro-
viding information because the details involve risk. They
fear making promises, setting up false expectations, or
being held accountable for results. If you say, “We’re
tracking along at a 28 percent growth rate” and there’s a
dip later, people are going to ask why. If you say you’re
going to cut expenses by 15 percent and you can’t, you’re
going to have to explain what you tried that didn’t work.
If you say you’re going to investigate ways to improve the
traffic congestion around the building, they’ll expect you
to do it.
People figure that no promises are better than broken
promises, so they don’t go out on a limb with any kind
of prediction, commitment, or goal that they’ll need to
meet.

The “I Hear You, I Hear You,
I Hear You” Syndrome

Let’s face it. Some people give incomplete information be-
cause they just don’t listen to questions others ask and
don’t pay attention to what others tell them. We’re preoc-
cupied, pressed for time, and busy prioritizing our own
plans. Conversations chug along like this one I had a few
days ago with an account manager:

Me: Is the client going to cancel Jacque’s program
because of the hurricane?
Manager: That program was last week. It’s over.
Me: If they’re canceling, did they agree to cover the
airfare? It was a nonrefundable ticket.

36 The Voice of Authority