Is Speaking Out Worth the Chaos It Can Cause? Why is it so difficult to tell people of the changes they need to make in their work? As I read this article I was eager to see if there were any easy solutions - which there weren't! I read with interest the four steps toward being an effective manager. There are plenty of challenges involved in walking through these four steps, but the basic concept of those four steps is accurate, and by taking one step at a time, it is achievable. It's true that we would rather shoot the messenger who delivers news, than to focus on the message being delivered. We often have conflict with those around us, whether related to an issue where you have differing opinions, or to personality differences, etc. When there is already a source of conflict with someone, whether large or small, it tends to cloud vision. That wall is immediately built between the two people and the person receiving the message often feels the messenger is being picky, or worse yet, that the issue is really about that personal conflict, not the work related issue. In Extension, I see many people who react to the messenger and not the message being delivered. Sometimes it's a case of having an opinion about the issue and feeling the messenger is off base, sometimes it's the message they don't want to believe. An example would be a District Director providing performance feedback to an employee. the District Director is saying there have been some issues related to time spent in the office and quality of work. The employee feels that the District Director isn't housed in the same office and doesn't see the extended hours put in on nights and weekends, so tunes out the message being delivered. Being the messenger is also difficult in Extension, so the fours steps in the article were helpful. We are often the messengers as well, as we provide evaluations to support staff, as we work with community groups and as we work with audiences who make up our clientele. We deliver messages in many ways and some are received better than others. We need to keep in mind the four steps as well as some suggestions provided by others throughout the article. Being honest, listening and anticipating and accepting feedback are always important in the process of talking with people in any situation. As the article describes the challenges faced by Carol Roberts of International Paper, people often realize some of the shortcomings or challenges, and by working through it together, solutions can be found and implemented. When I discussed the concept of this article, a friend insisted that trust be the basis for open dialogue - whether in a problem solving situation or a performance evaluation. If you can't trust the person you are communicating with , you'll always have that "shoot the messenger" approach and you won't hear the message. When trust is there (when you know the discussion won't go any farther or you know the person isn't holding grudges, etc.) you feel at ease listening to the message or feedback you are receiving. Another friend has chosen a career where they will never again be the messenger. In a previous job, they were called on to deliver messages to personnel about performance and layoffs. Facing some uncomfortable situations both at work and in the community caused him to choose a new career path where delivering messages isn't part of his job description. He says the frustrations involved aren't worth it! (He's happy with a cut in salary and the ability to go home at night feeling he did a good day's work and able to sleep through the night without thinking of work!) I think there's a valuable lesson to be learned about speaking out. By defining "the" issue (only one at a time), making conversation relate to the work and by being open to feedback, the message is more likely to be heard. Being a messenger who only delivers bad news and doesn't communicate with people only closes doors to valuable employees and customers!

-- Anonymous, December 29, 1998

Answers

Kia Harries,

I enjoyed your discussion on, "Open Mouth, Close Career?" You related it very well to your work with Extension and included a fascinating discussion with a friend. Please break your text into paragraphs. Watch for grammar errors (minor).

-- Anonymous, October 02, 1999