Page 91 - The Voice of Authority

nication climate of the whole team. Some styles are far
more effective than others.

1. Give and Let Live. Leaders who use this style send out
lots of information in all directions to everybody in
the organization—regardless of whether it’s tailored,
relevant, or applicable to others’ interests or needs.
Their mindset: I’ve done my job in sending the in-
formation—let them figure out if they want to know
what it all means.
2. Sell and Compel. Leaders who use this approach iden-
tify a few key themes, sell their point of view, and
compel others to see the wisdom of their strategies
and buy in to their goals.
3. Align and Redefine. These leaders listen for misun-
derstandings, continue to correct those who get “out
of line,” and redefine their goals.They rally the troops
and ask them to “align” around those few core issues.
4. Reply and Deny. For the most part, these leaders play
hide and seek and are seldom seen by rank-and-file
employees and customers. They listen to the
grapevine for questions, concerns, or complaints and
then reply and either confirm or deny rumors.
5. Control and Scold. Leaders who use this approach
withhold information in an attempt to control what
happens. They scold employees, suppliers, and
strategic partners, causing them to behave like dys-
functional family members. People pout, become
jealous, backstab, become territorial, lie, tattle, play
favorites, argue, withdraw, and generally work
against each other.

6. Share and Compare. Leaders with this mindset com-
municate information and their conclusions drawn

Is It Purposefully Unclear? 79