Kept In The Dark

Recently my flight between Toronto Ontario and Chicago Illinois was delayed for several hours. The only information we were receiving from attendant at the terminal is that the plane was delayed leaving it’s last stop.

Upon boarding the airplane the captain proceeded to advise that due to weather in the area, the Toronto airport had been delaying inbound traffic in order to control flow. With the full explanation the captain provided, the somewhat disgruntled passengers suddenly seemed to calm.

The attendant at the terminal was kept in the dark relative to “why” the plane was truly delayed, resulting in her spending significant time with disgruntled passengers.

Are you keeping your staff or team in the dark?

Do they understand “why” something needs to happen?

If you are transparent in your communications, engagement will increase. These forces are directly proportional to one another. So think about now only what you should communicate, but why it is important to staff and you will find increased employee engagement and improved customer satisfaction.

Sounds like a logical approach, doesn’t it?

© Shawn Casemore 2013. All rights reserved.