Finally!! Someone said it. Be aware of the BS in the Board/Meeting room. You got it, nailed it to the wall. BUT, BE CAREFUL, there be monsters there.
When the CEO at the head got there with no practical experience from below and (s)he FAKES it, pull your cards back and hide them. No matter what, hide your cards, even if they say, " we don't SHOOT THE MESSENGER, understand one thing.
"They shoot the messenger."
Catch them faking once, just once, and the information stops flowing uphill over night and the spies start working downhill. The organization goes into deep freeze by the weekend.
Yes, the "theory" you read about up top is wonderful and I've seen it work elsewhere when the top-cop is open, gathers together the top people in their field and TURNS THEM LOOSE to playh hunter-gatherer. But bring in the short fella with little man's disease who fakes it, the outfit will fold from within by end of quarter, all the grand theories in the world notwithstanding.
Take that to the bank.
Roger Fulton
Wharton '68

Wonderful advice - for senior managers looking to cull the deadwood off the payroll. This article is further evidence that FastCompany is in on some horribly cruel joke with corporations to see who buys into this kind of over-actualized advice.

Each of the five points made is a direct contradiction to surviving business politics. Practice the polar opposite of what Mr. Sundheim preaches and you will be sure to survive the next quarterly layoff lottery.

Here's a twist. Have everyone run the gauntlet in reverse. Make everyone point out why the idea WILL work before trying to knock it down (and perhaps, unintentionally, the creative person who came up with it).

Making communication work requires more that vetting good ideas or running gauntlets or even playing politics to keep your job. Communication works when people have a shared mission, values and goals. Then, and only then, are we free to say what is needed without hurting others or sabatoging ourselves.

Wendy,

Thanks for your note regarding my latest blog entry. I think you make an important point.

To push your thinking a little further - how do you make communication work BEFORE the shared mission, values, and goals are in place? i.e. how do you use communication as the very tool to arrive at the shared mission, values, and goals in the first place?

I feel it's possible to hold a dialogue space where people are free to say what is needed without hurting each other - even before they may agree on shared missions, values and goals - so that they can get there.

Just an opinion. Thanks again

Doug

Healthy conversation is about checking a good part of your ego at the door when you enter the " dialogue space".

Structure helps ( particularly open space principles) but its all about the human operating system in play.

Working with Boards ( who vet ideas as a job) the thing I notice is that independence of ego goes along way to ensuring healthy debate and dilligence.

Doug, as you pass through your gauntlet - what if the art of conversation was best practiced when alone.

As an aside, what's wrong with a dysfunctional conversation. Perhaps the problem is not the dysfunction but the impatience to arrive at an answer or make a decision before its time.

Peter - You make a good point about patience. I was defining dysfunction, not in the traditional sense, but rather has Argyris might look at it - meaning a conversation that doesn't produce a deeper understanding amongst participants. I was considering impatience to be a possible contributor to that.

I also think you make a good point about practing the art of conversation alone (which I understand to mean reflection). I agree this is important. One of the things my short post didn't make clear is the respect that is present (and necessary) in the room as we run through the gauntlet - and that it can happen over an extended period of time to allow for this reflection.

there is no substiture for enlightened leadership at the top. Open communication is impossible without it.

We instituted a pilot mentoring program at Blockbuster where we created opportunities for managers and executives two levels above them to have regular conversations about business, life, and community service, (led by the enlightened SVP who also participated) and it not only reduced turnover by the top managers by 75%, it was also life changing for many of the managers!

Most successful consulting engagement in my career and the leader made it possible-he walked the talk. It's the only way.

Kevin Karlson JD PhD
Transformation Strategy Leadership Communication

Taking up Doug's points around
a) effective conversations and communication and
b)the conversation about the conversation - ie how do we create the climate to agree purpose, vision, values etc.

I find two aspects in my leadership practice

a) for any conversation/meeting have a good / great meeting structure - some suggestions above and one aspect which I use with clients that often causes a surprise is to ask them "What is success for our meeting?" - ie how do we measure the added value. Try this as part of any meeting at any level and the engagement and ownership level is an order above. Might need to amend the agenda to incorporate - and this links to open space principles. At the end of the meeting always come back to the success factors initially voiced.
Other aspects as well - contact me off line for more info.

b) for the generative space - always worthwhile is a session which explores the rules of enagagement for any group working together - as part of team formation. I tend to use rich pictures as a vehicle - and have each individual draw their own representation of how the successful team operates in the specific context and then iterate by pairing people up until a consensus is reached - eg if 8 people in the group/team - individual pictures - then in pairs to gain a joint agreement. 2 sets of 2 and the 2 sets of 4.
Again coming from the rooted in success approach -and a great starter for a new team, plus a good reviver for an established team. It creates the climate in which the baggage is dropped so the real stuff is better open to meaningful discussion.

Steve