Remember not to be a dictator
A view from the bottom with respect to information implies that lack of information sharing is like siphoning funds. It is defrauding your business and your people because it is using your employees/team like foot soldiers/pawns and not maximizing their potential as useful resources to problem solve or improve your system. You are limiting your team and the growth of your business. You are playing your own part in contributing to wars all over the world that stem from dissatisfaction and discontentment. The flow of Information follows a trickle-down effect. By the time it gets to the ‘least of these’ it will be nothing short of a percentile of the original so the less you share at the highest levels of the organogram-the less information travels in the official channels and the less useful it is.
- Share your vision- A vision withheld means a lot of decisions are going to seem like you are blind sighting everyone. Employees do not care about ‘the point’ and do their jobs, go home and spend their pay check. But a team, a choir, an orchestra work toward the success of the whole. Everyone needs to know the course, track and song before they can play their part well.
- Guide rather than instruct- If you are leading a people, like Moses did, they need to know where they are going or else they will get frightened, frustrated or confused especially if all they get are instructions and not guidance. Horses on a bridle get instructed. They are not allowed to anticipate the ‘winds of change’ or else they are considered stubborn and unruly. Guide your people toward the overall goal. Allow them to think, ask and have an opinion.
- Feed the people- If they are hungry for information for decision-making that relates to the organization- provide it! There is nothing as foolish as sending out robots who only know what you think they should know because they will NOT represent you well- they will not sell the product well, they will be seat holders and not really elevate you or your business. Spot the hungry ones- feed them and propel them forward. Reprogram your team with the right information. In fact, don’t let your people get hungry at all. Period. Dare I say, curiosity didn’t kill the cat-hunger did.
- Alleviate the Fear- If your people fear anything they will not perform to the best of their ability. They will appease you and do just enough to get the next pay check and relax until the next fire is lit under them. How do you alleviate the fear? You qualify them by teaching or giving them opportunities to learn what they should on the job. You do not flatter them. Flattering is commending your employees in the presence of others but never alone. If they want to know how they can rise up the organogram- show them. But provide an environment where they can ask. Teach your team to ask-how does this affect my role as……? How can I perform better/differently in light of this information?
- Do not hide behind ‘politics’ or management. This is a façade to prevent information sharing and prevent decision-making at all levels. Politics creates a parallel system from which people will rebel and form allegiances. Eventually the results will come out in the news and everyone will know so intelligently tell your team first. Give them an opportunity to respond- extract from their perspective so you can come up with a decision that is sound and has backing (to an extent) from the team. Remember you can’t fight fires alone so you need a team that will fight with you.
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