“The higher I climb up the corporate ladder, the more difficult it is for me to find people who will tell me the truth,” says Chris Kenney, an executive with the Murdock Group.  Employees learn by experience that in order to avoid being “barbecued,” you have to learn to tell the manager what he or she wants to hear.  Kenney calls this the “Emperor’s New Clothes” mentality.

Owners and managers are generally responsible to make the decisions that move the company forward, and they usually rely heavily on the advice of others in the company to make those decisions.  But if you are not careful, your managerial arrogance could short-circuit the information-gathering process. 

Have you ever said anything like, “Anyone with any brains or intelligence can see that this is the way to go?  Now tell me what you think.”  Logically, all of the people with brains or intelligence keep their mouths shut. Kenney recommends four methods for keeping the lines of accurate communication open:

• Don’t murder the messenger
  If you reprimand the “bearer of bad tidings,” you are not likely to get bad news from that individual again.   Be careful not to blame the messenger for the problem if it isn’t one he created, and don’t assign him to clean up the mess if he didn’t make it.
  
• Be open to suggestion
  Lighten up! Your way isn’t the only way, and it certainly isn’t always the best way. 
  
• Round the sharp edges of truth
  Say what you have to say, but be tactful.
  
• Have a positive attitude of presentation
  In any organization, there are “propellers” and there are “anchors.”  Anchors resist change, and drag progress to a halt.  Propellers find a way to get things done and overcome challenges.  Present differences of opinion as discussions, not arguments.