Leaders may know exactly what they want to see happening.
They send out messages down the management line. Employees ought to
understand. But between the top table and the shop-floor something goes
wrong. Leadership teams can be scarily ignorant of how badly their
wishes have been distorted, and how much unhappiness there is among
those on the receiving end.
There are four things in particular that managers need to provide if
they want to avoid this false anxiety syndrome:
predictability
(over-communicate);
understanding (keep it “Sesame Street
simple”, advises Procter & Gamble’s AG Lafley);
control (break down
big challenges into manageable ones); and
compassion (show that you
care).
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