Emotions are at the base of power

traffic jam

Thanks to an excellent post of  Rob Llewellyn, I take a detour from Gantt analysis for sharing some more thoughts about communication.

Formal documents (e.g. Gantt’s diagrams, Highlight Reports etc.) can supply the infrastructure for the project. In this metaphor, standard documents are vehicles running in the company’s network for delivering information. As we can experience almost every day, there are traffic jams. Our ears are accustomed to cars’ noises as well as our eyes find difficult to distinguish the logic thread from a list of figures or worn clip arts.

The use of templates for sending information offers the advantage of a familiar pattern, henceforth an intrisic control for any missing item. However, these tools are not able to stir up the emotions that will unleash vital energies.

There are two different and complementary strategies for improving the quality of communication:

1. Increasing the quality of methodological techniques.
2. Improving the human side of communication.

The ability to deal with emotions is the most important part of a good manager. The goodness is measured as ability to deliver results that endure for the time sufficient to grow up a solid relationship (including the shareholders, who can believe in the company’s capacity to fetch good money also in bad times).

Is the use of fear is a symptom of bad management?

Let me guess, that at least once in our professional life, our minds caressed L. Trotsky following quote:

“There is a limit to the application of democratic methods. You can inquire of all the passengers as to what type of car they like to ride in, but it is impossible to question them as to whether to apply the brakes when the train is at full speed and accident threatens.”

This line of thoughts is based on the “shot in an arm” approach. Something that makes difficult to avoid becoming an adrenalin junkie.

Conclusion

Inspiring the people, who have been chosen and or accepted as our teammates,  is the only way for granting a chance of reaching our goals. The idea of inoculate the fear of punishment (severing the contract?) it is just a way to demonstrate lack of judgment in  forming, storming norming and performing the team.

Dealing with a person who lacks of the necessary qualities is the most difficult task for a manager because it is the time when his/her past mistakes are shown in their full power.

Being part of an organization can be lived in two ways:

• Finding easily someone else to blame.
• Being able to ask for collaboration.

“In the long history of humankind and animal kind, too) those who learned how to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed”