THE OPAQUE ORGANIZATION

I started my sales career as a first line manager. My boys executed what we discussed and agreed and I aligned myself to the "goals"  that my regional manager gave me. All of us worked out of one office. Communication was either in the morning or evening when the "boys" came back to office. We worked on a target that came to us in the beginning of the year and vision that was personally communicated by the chairman. It was a world without mobiles and emails. It was the last instance where I lived in a "three layered structure". Every other layer was "Opaque" as communication was not easy.

This year while partying with a friend, he was describing how thrilled he was, as he got a call from his Chairman's office in Boston. The call was to take  feedback on the new organizational goals that was set for the year.

I realized to my surprise, that in the world of Internet and emails, we have made communication channels opaque or selective. Smart leaders are realizing this. They are communicating more directly. They are also being helped by "apps" that allow them to "reach out". They are cutting the "crap" in one direction. Not all have gathered the courage to "listen" in the other direction.

My suggestion - go ahead and "short" the communication channels. There are a lot of smart people and smart ideas out there, that can only help the organization. Don't allow the "noise" to deter you. Spice it with a little "trust" and see the momentum one can achieve.

All views are my own and do not represent any organization that I work or worked for or have been associated with. Send your feed-backs to jyosat@gmail.com