Years ago, following a reorganization of our function at the company I was working for, I was called into my boss’s office late one Friday to learn my assignment. All the teams had been changed, with new functions (and headcount!) added, and I and my peers were finding out one-by-one what our new assignments were to be. I expected to be the manager of the team I had been … [Read more...]
A Pox on Written Statements
You see the phrase more and more in news stories involving business, government, or other large institution: “In a written statement, the company said….” It’s become commonplace. Few people talk to reporters anymore; instead, we receive their questions and provide a written statement. There are reasons for this. First is the control issue. It is believed that a written … [Read more...]
“It’s the Way Things Are Done Here”
I once knew a very talented professional who took on extra work at any opportunity. He was ambitious, yes, but he was also good. No task was too menial or mundane; he volunteered for everything and he generally did everything well. He was friendly and engaging, what everyone would call “a really great guy.” He was also helpful and supportive to his colleagues. He was … [Read more...]
Have You Ever Lied for Your Company?
I’ve spent 40 years in organizational communications, mostly in the corporate world. I’ve been on the firing line more times than I want to remember with product crises, environmental crises, public controversies involving the company, and more. For about a year, I worked for an urban school district forced into massive change during a full-blown financial crisis and became the … [Read more...]