Introduction

It's like management has this little game. It's called "Connect the Dots." We're supposed to watch what they do, then figure it out for ourselves. We're supposed to connect the dots. What a waste of time and energy. Isn't that what good leadership's all about? Aren't they supposed to connect the dots so we can get on with growing the business?

Dockworker at a trucking company

You can't not communicate.

Everything you say and do communicates.

Leaders communicate their priorities by how they use their time, what's first and last on their agenda, who they reward and who they promote. They signal what's important by questions they ask, structure they create, and bureaucracy they eliminate. And when they try to do nothing by hiding behind ...

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