Pamela and I have been car shopping for a replacement for her Kia Soul. While the car has been a great vehicle, it’s pushing almost 200,000 miles and has developed a major oil leak. The repairs would be too much to be worthwhile.
Entering the world of car shopping has been one of the worst experiences we’ve had.
Why?
The car lots hide so much from you. Even the pricing of their vehicles.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash
I reached out to one dealership to inquire about a Subaru Crosstrek. They gave me the runaround. First, I received a response asking whether I’d like to come out and test-drive the vehicle. Sure, I’d love to. However, I had requested photos of the car (which were not listed on the website) and the vehicle’s price. Neither of which was provided.
It’s like they were hiding something from us.
Sending photos. Giving the price. These things seem like something you’d give to someone before they spend the time to come out for a test drive.
No, they hid these things. And we didn’t go for the test drive because we felt like they should have been more upfront.
Stop Hiding Things From Your Employees
As leaders, we often find ourselves like this car dealership. We’re spending our time avoiding giving our employees what they need.
Your employees feel the same way I felt in this transaction: Bamboozled, misled, and frustrated.
All because you’re hiding things from your employees. Here’s what you need to stop hiding:
Impending Organizational Changes:
Leadership changes. We know that. Your employees know that. So why do we continue to hide these situations from our employees?
You do yourself and your organization no favors by hiding what’s coming. You do hurt the organization’s morale, though.
When organizational changes happen, especially out of the blue, people begin to wonder what else is going on. Who else is being moved out. What else is going to come their way.
Yes, there are times when you can’t share these leadership or organizational transitions. However, those are few and far between.
Your Presence:
The open office idea has been an interesting concept. Leadership claims that an open office with no walls promotes collaboration, transparency, and cost efficiency. It’s been pitched as a great way to bring people together.
In every open office, do you know what I’ve not seen? The leadership team included in the open office layout. They still have the four walls of their own private office.
Why?
Because leadership is hiding its presence from its people.
If you’re going to tell your team they need to be in an open office to promote collaboration and transparency, why aren’t you out there with them? You’re hiding in your private area.
Get out. Mingle. Build relationships with your people.
The Truth:
Leaders may not want to burden their employees with the weight of financial struggles, impending layoffs, or even a closure. Yet you’re hurting your team by hiding the truth about what’s coming or what may happen.
Be as open as possible when major struggles arise in your organization. You wouldn’t want to be blindsided by this news. Neither do your employees.
Share the truth when you can.
