Category: culture

The big reveal

Fabrizio5 Comments

Our next project, the future of the team, the current state of affairs, the launch of the new product, the brand revamp, the newly appointed executive, the team member who is leaving.

If we treat everything as a big reveal, sharing information with a restricted number of confidants while others are left reading tea leaves, two things will likely happen.

First, we loose the opportunity to buy people in before things are set. Sharing the work, the good and the bad, before it is ready to ship means we can ask for input, we can hear what the people who are affected think, we can let others into the change, and we can sell the reasoning and thought process more easily.

And then, we take focus away from the rest of the organisation. Whether we want it or not, the big reveal becomes the center of the conversation, and by the time it actually happens, every single person will already have their own solid picture of what that is about. How can we then satisfy all of them?

Big reveals are powerful tools, and they are also one of the main reasons why change is often so challenging to manage. We should not make big reveals the norm.

Lack of communication

FabrizioLeave a comment

Silence is golden. Lack of communication is not.

One can find comfort in silence. It is a moment of reflection, of expression, of deep connection. Leaders who learn the power of silence are better listeners, and their team members get in a habit of sharing.

Lack of communication is on the opposite side of the spectrum. It is about retreating, hiding, avoiding. Lack of communication digs holes that others will fill with assumptions, fears, and regrets. The more difficult the situation, the wider the holes. Many leaders practice lack of communication, and their team members get in a habit of keeping to themselves.

Fairly and kindly

FabrizioLeave a comment

The things you believe you do to others, you actually end up doing them to yourself.

The smart comeback to your colleague’s comment is going to hurt a relationship that is important to you.

The reply you have not sent to that important message is holding the project back and yourself accountable.

The carefully planned revenge on the person who crossed you once is taking all of your energy and focus.

The lie you are saying to get ahead this time is giving permission to others to lie to you to do the same.

The silence treatment you are giving your partner is not contributing to a relationship where you feel comfortable sharing and growing.

The only way to achieve what is important to you is to treat others fairly and kindly. The rest is just an elaborated narrative we tell ourselves to keep us from committing and moving on.

Let go and do instead.

Auto reply

Fabrizio1 Comment

Four ways companies can decide to (automatically) answer an application for an open position.

#1

*crickets chirp*

#2

Hi, we have received your application. Best Regards.

#3

Hi *candidate name*,
Thank you for your interest in *company name*! We wanted to let you know we received your application for *open position*, and we are delighted that you would consider joining us. We’ll be in touch again once we have processed your application.

Best Regards.

#4

Hi *candidate name*,

Thank you for your interest in our *open position*!

It’s getting close to saying our goodbyes to 2020 and welcoming a fresh new year! This marks the start of a Holiday season with our team as well, as all our operations quiet down for a couple of weeks – until we’re back on January 4th.

We’d like to take this chance to thank you for your patience with our team taking the time to rest and spend time with our families, and to wish you joyous and love-filled Holidays and a wonderful New Year!

*Animated GIF – Happy Holidays*

See you in 2021! 🥳

Two questions.

  1. As a candidate, for which of the four companies would you feel more excited to go work for?
  2. How soon after being hired will you forget about the importance of such seemingly minor details?

And perhaps a third one. Does it matter?

I believe it does. Even when it is about a simple, automated communication with somebody you might not hear about anymore.

The way you communicate is a choice. And it speaks volume to who you are.

Not going to work

FabrizioLeave a comment

The things you say have a life of their own.

They do not fade once you are done saying them. They keep floating, and those who have heard them carry them around for an indefinite amount of time. They change in meaning. They change in strength. They change in effect.

Often they are still there once we have forgotten them. They might even become drivers for actions we later fail to understand. To our own misery.

The act of saying is anything but final. It’s a step in a process of reciprocal understanding, and we rarely do a good job with our own part.

Despite the fact we have never used it more, communication is fragile. Starting from the assumption it is not going to work is an easy way to become better at it.