Two truths about communicating
by Miki SaxonI’ve never trusted things presented to me as “absolute truth,” but during more than thirty years as a headhunter and culture/retention coach, there are two things I’ve found that at least have the ring of absolute, i.e., unchanging, truth.
One is that the best managers, the ones who are good at hiring, superb motivators, world-class team-builders, and caring mentors are, with almost no exceptions, all egalitarians. You can see this at work in their communications and it translates into a simple rule that every manager should follow: Talk to each person with the same respect, interest, appreciation, and consideration that you would want in similar circumstances.
The second is very simple—never lie. Companies and people operate on the same premise—what you see is what you get—starting from the beginning. Managers expect the person who reports to work to be the same person, with the same attitude and interests, that they interviewed and hired for the job. By the same token, if the manager who presented himself as a motivator, innovator, team-builder, mentor-type during the interview is actually a micromanager without an original thought who screams at his people, then he shouldn’t be surprised when they leave in short order.
This translates into an even simpler rule: Never, ever lie!
