Imagine for a moment the business world is the plot of a James Bond film, where there are two kinds of bosses.
M personifies the good boss, helping 007 by providing good intel, logistical support and joined-up communications.
Meanwhile, the super-baddie – take your pick from Mr Big to Blofeld – is the bad boss, doing everything they can to hinder our secret agent in his mission.
Mostly this involves saying little, keeping plans for world domination to themselves and, strangely, nearly always a laser.
Of course, thanks to M’s support, super-suave Bond always wins in the end.
And this is why Bond movies can teach executives and senior managers a simple yet wonderful lesson: it’s good to talk.
Yes, while many organisations spend a lot of time and money talking the hind legs off clients and customers, unlike M, their CEOs and MDs often forget to connect with their own managers and employees.
Leaving staff out of the loop creates a dark vacuum where new ideas cannot breathe and no-one can see what anyone else is doing.
On the other hand, good communication at every level of a company enlightens, engages and empowers.
Sharing strategy goals builds a stronger and closer team, offers more cohesive work practices and motivates continual growth.
Want to land a new role in management? Show your interviewer how you would maximise in-house use of office and mobile comms, improve the company intranet or kickstart social media campaigns to get the entire team talking, learning and innovating together.
Landing that job means being like M and demonstrating you’re prepared to do all the talking and direct employee engagement.
After all, it’s your personal leadership practices that will set the tone for the entire workforce.
CEOs, directors and managers who want their organisations to be based on dialogue and engagement in all operations will ultimately achieve so much more.
Encouraging a culture, right from the top, that encourages programmes that create conversations will build an ethos of shared values.
This will define a company as one worth doing business with, an organisation worth having a relationship with, and one that needs you – behind the wheel of the Aston Martin DB5 not in the ejector seat!
Now let’s talk more . . . about your new role from the many Executive & Management opportunities with s1jobs.