Tabloid Version of Events
“Enquiring Minds Want to Know”. The mindless information shared through tabloids is great for entertainment. Its a terrible place to go for facts. When people put a spin on information in tabloids, we know not to trust it. Why is it so present in the business world? Maybe its because seasoned spinsters have the ability to play on the emotions of the other person and share something in a way that somehow seems plausible. Maybe its because leaders need information to gain a better lay of the land. Either way, leaders need to be leery of this type of news feed. They need good information, without bias.
A manager who defines success for a situation, then supports it usually finds it. Unfortunately, too many people with authority under-manage their team to success. They might do it under the guise of “lets see what they are made of” or some other surface level logic that attempts to justify why the manager avoids doing their job. This approach cracks under even the simplest scrutiny. Trial and error is a good way to solve a new challenge. It’s a bad way to learn best practices. If the company has already solved something well, conserve the creative thought for its highest and best use – new or redefined challenges.
Venomous words are often only eclipsed by contemptuous actions in ways to violate mutual respect. Putting one person down to compliment another, being visibly disengaged in a meeting, and gossip / having negative conversations about “Frank” without “Frank” are all disrespectful. These words and actions are the clay needed to create the tabloid version of events. They are in the way of teams working cohesively together and their presence needs to diminish. I expect managers to become disgusted with conversations about “who” and more intolerant of receiving inaccurate information. I expect managers to be able to stand on their actions, unafraid to act, and to be willingly accountable.
Be worth following. Raising expectations of our buyers makes our company more in demand. Raising and supporting the expectations on our managers makes our company stronger. Raising Expectations should be expected.
I hope you have a great week!