Managing Opinions and Perceptions in the Workplace (for alumni)

3/27/2014

One of the greatest challenges that leaders face is the challenge inherent in managing organizational opinions and perceptions that manifest themselves in rumors and gossip about the leader's intentions, decisions, and actions.  By managing opinions and perceptions of employees, I am not referring to some pejorative or unethical actions the leader might take.  I am referring to managing the amount of information that is shared.  Through experience and sound judgment, the leader must know what is too much information and what is too little.  I tend to error on the side of giving too much in order to cultivate trust within the company/corporation.  However, it has backfired on me so that now I am more cautious of the second and third order affects of my words. By describing the whys and wherefores of one's decisions or actions, more is available for employees to criticize and grouse about.  There is no clear answer to this conundrum except for the leader to contemplate what to share, how much, and the potential for misunderstanding.