In management and leadership, “surprises” sometimes happen.
A sudden personnel change.
An unexpected reorganization.
A new policy announced without warning.
A decision that directly affects someone, yet is discussed behind the scenes and only revealed to them at the very end.
Some people even use surprises as a way of demonstrating their authority.
Others may simply say:
“I didn’t think they would be so surprised.”
“I thought I could just tell them later.”
In these cases, perhaps they have not yet developed a strong enough awareness of how their actions affect the people around them.
But within an organization, surprises can create far greater losses than we might imagine.
People Are Hurt by Being Left in the Dark
When people are caught by surprise, they may begin to think:
“I was left out.”
“Was I not important enough to be told?”
“Did no one consider how this would affect me?”
Once those feelings take hold, someone who might otherwise have been thinking,
“What is best for the company?”
“How can we make this decision successful?”
may instead become stuck on one question:
“Why didn’t anyone tell me?”
In some cases, that frustration may even turn into:
“If that’s how it is, I’m not going to make it easy for them.”
Intelligence, experience, and time that should have been devoted to productive work are instead spent dealing with the emotional fallout.
For an organization, this creates no value at all.
Eliminating Surprises Does Not Mean Announcing Everything Early
Of course, there are matters in management that cannot yet be made public.
What matters is identifying the key stakeholders at each stage of the process.
The people who need to know should be given information gradually, beginning at an appropriate early stage.
“This hasn’t been decided yet.”
“We’re not at the stage of asking for input yet.”
“But we have begun exploring this direction.”
“When the time comes, we’ll discuss it properly.”
Simply communicating this much can make an enormous difference in how prepared people feel.
People need time to process change and begin to see it as something that affects them personally.
Given that time, they will eventually begin to ask:
“How can we make this work?”
“What can I do to help?”
And in doing so, they become part of the process.
Involving people does not simply mean inviting them to a meeting.
It means giving them the time they need to become mentally and emotionally engaged in what is happening.
Spring Does Not Arrive Overnight
Nature illustrates this beautifully.
Flowers do not all suddenly bloom one morning.
Even during winter, roots are active beneath the soil. The days gradually grow longer. Buds begin to swell. And eventually, the flowers open.
If we look only at the moment a flower blooms, it may seem sudden.
But a long period of preparation came before it.
Organizations are much the same.
Positive change happens when information reaches the right people, when they have time to prepare themselves, when understanding gradually develops, and when people eventually begin moving in the same direction.
By the time the formal announcement is made, people can respond:
“So, we’ve finally reached this point.”
I believe this is what a mature approach to organizational change looks like.
Knowing When to Communicate Is a Leadership Discipline
Who needs to know what—and when?
Who should not yet be informed?
At what stage should you ask for input?
Thinking carefully about these questions is part of a leader’s responsibility.
People who believe that possessing information gives them power tend to hold onto it.
Truly effective leaders think instead about how information should flow so that the entire organization can become stronger.
People and organizations are all part of a larger flow.
The right information reaches the right places at the right time.
Where it is not yet needed, it does not flow until the appropriate moment.
There is no attachment to the idea that “I alone hold this information,” nor the arrogance of believing, “I am the one making everything happen.”
What is needed simply flows to where it is needed, when it is needed.
When executives and leaders develop a sense for this flow, things can move much more smoothly.
There is no need to force people into compliance.
There is no need to surprise people into following.
Give the right information to the right people, and give them time to prepare themselves.
Then people begin to move forward on their own.
Not Surprising People Is Both Compassion and Discipline
The human heart is more sensitive than we sometimes realize.
A lower title or position in an organization does not make someone’s feelings less important.
That is why leaders need to understand how deeply an unexpected decision can affect someone.
Don’t take people by surprise.
Give them time to prepare.
Bring the people who need to be involved into the process early enough to understand what is happening.
This is more than a communication technique.
It is a form of respect for others—and a leadership discipline that prevents an organization’s energy from being wasted.
There is no need to force a river to flow.
Prepare the path, and the water will flow on its own.