When Silence is NOT Golden

Ahh! Peace and Quiet

When there don’t seem to be enough hours in a day, it’s nice to have an opportunity to coast.  But be careful what you wish for.

Have your people suddenly stopped coming to you with their problems and challenges?

Contrary to the old saying: Silence is NOT always Golden.  According to Colin Powell, there are two possible reasons:

1. They believe you don’t care.
2. They don’t believe you can (or will) do anything about it.

Just because you’re not hearing about problems, don’t assume they don’t exist. When your people have lost faith in trustworthiness, your leadership competence and your initiative, it is anything but a golden moment.  It is hazardous to your wealth and the prosperity of your organization.

Has it been a while since any of your associates have shared a challenge?  Consider…

• Have you effectively been killing your messengers with your past responses?
• How can you be proactive about non-judgmentally seeking updates feedback on key initiatives.

Related Articles

• Feedback: Breakfast of Champions
• The Door to My Office is Always Open.  Or is it?

Credits

• The Colin Powell photo is from Wikipedia
• Colin Powell quote came via Randy Richardson, President of Vi in his panel discussion at the HRMAC Leadership Series event.