Part of being an effective manager is having the capability to motivate and persuade the people you lead in a desired direction. For someone to change, both the why change and the how to change are necessary. Many other elements are important in a change process, but for the moment lets ask: when should managers discloses the Why and when the How?
Bob Sutton recently shared the results of a study that show how vague versus specific messages affect credibility. Using presidential candidates, the study showed that if elections were several months away, candidates that spoke in vague terms where the most liked by potential voters. But if elections were very close, candidates that spoke in specific terms were the most liked. For the brain context is essential, something my colleague Jack Vinson constantly reminds me of.
The study got me thinking about when you should speak in vague versus concrete terms. Perhaps when in the initial steps of a change initiative, it is better to speak in broader terms, as this might help you create a shared Urgency of Change, as Kotter's work suggests. In later phases, when a shared vision is in place, specific terms might work best.
How do you convey the Why and How in your organization? Do you always share them with the people you lead?
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