Volume XXI, Number 49 (Issue 1053) December 4, 2023
When Uncertainty Reigns (Or Is It Rains?)
How often have you felt like you were being kept in the dark, the last to know, wishing those in the know would share what they know, are thinking, where the organization is headed, and why it is headed there? It would also help if someone would clue you in to what is expected of you. How many times have you wished those in your personal orbit would be more forthcoming with their thoughts too?
That cone of silence you are experiencing may not be intentional, but it matters little when you are the one on the receiving end. Lack of communication has been a source of complaints, not to mention a bone of contention, and problems in situation after situation, relationship after relationship for as long as man has been around. Furthermore, it matters little if we are talking about an information vacuum in the workplace or the home.
As we all know, one of the more serious consequences of a lack of communication is uncertainty. Faced with even a touch of uncertainty, people are obliged to either go with the flow, stick with the familiar, or improvise (read make things up). And in my experience, making things up is not one of the better choices. Sure, there are times when things do work out. But that is probably the exception rather than the rule. When there is little to no communication, or the communication is faulty, sub- optimal decisions are virtually guaranteed. That is because decisions that are based on incomplete or incorrect information require us to fill in the blanks or connect the few dots we can see as best we can.
But that is not the only challenge when it comes to gaps in communication. When people are reluctant to speak the truth to power, those in the know do not know all they need to know. Consequently, those with positional authority are apt to think what they are doing is working – even when it is not. That goes double when it involves the things that are thought to be the purview of those closer to the actual work.
Thus, regardless of the position we hold in a relationship, we all are better served by not being left in the dark. Don’t you agree?
Soli Deo Gloria
“Break open your words, let the light shine out, let ordinary people see the meaning.” Psalm 119:130
J. Keith Hughey
Mobile: (210)260-0955
E-mail: keith@jkeithhughey.com
Web site: www.jkeithhughey.com
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