Political Dilemmas at Work: How to Maintain Your Integrity and Further Your Career

Information, Communication, and Spin

There are always gaps between what we think, what we would like to say, and what we actually say. We have learned that we cannot just say whatever thoughts arrive in our heads—this can be quite endearing in a four-year-old, but less so coming from an adult. We learn that our messages need to be crafted so as not to cause offense and to help us get what we want. The organizational equivalent of this human process is called spin—and we tend to regard it as a bad thing. All communications from the head office are scrutinized carefully, not for what they say, but for what they really mean. We have become increasingly suspicious about official announcements and will always want to know what lies behind the words. We live in an age of ever more communication and information, but it seems we trust ever less of it. Yet this does not stop people pushing and sometimes manipulating to gain the inside track. Though it might seem risky, telling the truth offers us the best chance of earning respect and acting with integrity.

 

• Expect people to overinterpret corporate communications.

• Commit to share as much information as you can without breaking confidentiality.

• Understand that people always want to know what is really going on.

• If you can’t tell people now, tell them when you are able to.

• If you can’t tell people what, then tell them why.

 

Our charter needs to make a commitment toward communicating with tact and diplomacy, ...