A delayed decision without communication is a downer
Delayed decisions can be detrimental to the trust you develop with your people.
One time I was on a plane in Atlanta headed to Tulsa. The Atlanta airport, one of the crazy busy airports you should avoid, can stack up a long line of planes simply trying to taxi to a runway. It took us one hour to taxi from our gate to a runway. During the entire time not once did the pilot communicate our flight status. When you are sitting inside a plane crawling on the ground for one hour it’s a very good idea for the pilot to communicate an approximate time for takeoff. Many of the passengers were getting very agitated by the long, silent trek to the runway.
In our work environment there may be times when a decision cannot be made due to the circumstances of the situation. If this is the case, communicate the reasons for your delayed decision with your people so they understand the cause. If, however, you have enough information to move forward — to take off — march ahead with your decision and communicate as much information as you can to your team.
As you develop a reputation of making timely decisions and communicating with your people along the way, the level of trust you build with your team will skyrocket. High levels of trust help build a great workplace.
Image Credit: The Kathryn Report
Kevin Kennemer, the founder of The People Group, is a great workplace advocate, consultant, speaker and writer who blogs daily on relevant workplace issues regarding company culture, leadership, worklife trends, and how companies can exceed their financial performance expectations by treating employees with dignity, trust and respect.
