Encouraging Information

by Angela Gallogly
Vice President of USA Operations, Advanced Team Concepts

http://www.atctraining.com

The last blog that I shared encouraged you to share information within your organization. Taking time to give complete instructions, tell someone what your thoughts and opinions are or sharing detailed information can really enable a team in terms of both morale and performance.

Unfortunately, there are many times when this sharing of information doesn't occur. There could be a variety of reasons: work demands and time constraints, a lack of trust, an assumption that "everyone knows that," etc. Regardless of the reason, it can be helpful to make an attempt to get the information flow going.

So what can you do? Here are a few ideas.

• Check your assumptions


• Validate information


• Build trust

Check your assumptions. In my last blog, I talked about the human tendency to fill in the blanks in terms of information. Our minds are very efficient at interpreting the information we are given. If that information is limited, we have a greater chance of making an incorrect interpretation or assumption. It's important that we check our assumptions and separate fact from fiction. An example: My manager asks me to delegate some of my current responsibilities to someone else. I might assume that this is a bad development. Am I not doing a good enough job? Am I being replaced? Don't react based on assumption alone. If you have concerns:

Validate information. Begin a dialogue. Ask questions. Make sure that what you think is true is actually true. Perhaps in further discussion with my manager, I might discover that she wants me to participate in a special project that will require a large amount of time. The request that I perceived as a threat or a negative might actually be an opportunity to grow my skills and career.

Build Trust. I've mentioned this in my blog before. It isn't only about how capable our team is at communication. Our team members might have skill, time and information, but if they don't trust who they are communicating with, they won't openly share information. Think about how you can build trust and make your team members feel safe when it comes to open dialogue and information sharing.

For one, always maintain confidentially as appropriate. If I am speaking with someone in the office with a reputation for gossiping, you can be sure I'll keep information to myself. Also, think about how you react to information. There have been a few times when I've shared my opinion or ideas with people and they've "beat me up" for it via criticism and disregard. In the future, I avoided sharing with those individuals.

Try to be a good listener and respectful of those that you communicate with. Remember that trust is the foundation for great information sharing.