“Be in charge of your own destiny or some one else will.” - Jack Welch

Your destiny is determined each day by the path you choose. But just having a goal and putting one step in front of the other each day isn’t enough. You also need to let other people know what you’re doing. That means communicating up, around, sideways and down the middle.

Let me give you an example. A story about guy who had his eyes on the prize, but forgot to let his boss in on it.

He told the story right before I got up to speak last night in Rye Brook New York to a group of IT leaders. He had read chapter one of Motivate Like a CEO, realized where dropped the ball, and wanted to share it with everybody.

Turns out he and his technology team had worked feverishly to bring a project in on time and on budget. He was proud of the fact that he’d been communicating exceptionally well with his team. They were engaged in the work; in spite of some challenges they were excited and firing on all cylinders. Trouble was- he forgot to tell the folks upstairs.

He was so busy making sure those cylinders were firing that he failed to tell the executive team they were taking a trip. When he finally looped them back in, it became clear they didn’t understand what he’d been up to. “Why are you spending so much time and energy on it?” they asked. What a shame – a great effort without the applause. Phase II? Who knows if it will even happen?

What Went Wrong?

This story must have a familiar ring; I hear it all the time. Your team loves you, they work hard for you, but somehow you and they aren’t getting the credit or the recognition you deserve. Nine times out of ten it isn’t because you work for a boss who is a jerk. It’s because of a simple failure to communicate up.

Communicating “up” is one of the most strategic aspects of the job. You have to do it - for yourself - for your team - for your organization. When you don’t, precious time, resources and effort are wasted.

Ask yourself, this - in an ever changing world, where priorities are shifting, how can you possibly know that your activities are aligned today’s goals? The only way to know is to have a robust dialogue going with the top of the organization.

Remember This, When Briefing Top Executives

• When you go in to give a briefing, be prepared, and be flexible. Things may have changed. Week to week, organizations are juggling a host of priorities and business realities. Sure, in an ideal world, the company sets its sights on a target and focuses like a laser beam. But we all know how difficult that is in this ultra volatile economy.

• That’s why you need to keep people in the loop - formally and informally. Pick up the phone, send an email, schedule a meeting - be available - and don’t assume they know.

• Be sure to ask questions and listen between the lines. You may see heads nodding while the tone is less than enthusiastic. That’s a signal. Pay attention.

• You can still champion your project or idea if you believe in it. Just be sure you can make a rock solid case for how it aligns with the company’s priorities.

• Come in well prepared with facts and information that helps them see it the way you see it. Your job as a leader is to communicate not just what, but why.

It isn’t Just Up - It’s Around, Sideways, and Down the Middle

I have a client who is living a nightmare right now - after six months of hard work a major project has been scuttled. She and her team spent months planning, preparing and discussing with the top leaders of the company, only to have the rug pulled out from under them at the 11th hour. Chaos has ensued.

Her team is not only deflated and demoralized; planned promotions will not take place; people will be moving to other parts of the organization; some may leave the company. Perhaps most ruinous- it was a pretty good plan- so the benefits to the organization will be lost.

The issue really wasn’t just communicating up. It appeared the top folks were on board. Behind the scenes, however, some powerful forces who didn’t like it prevailed. It all went down in about three hours. This is what I like to call unpredictably predictable. The post-mortem will show that the failure was in building alliances around the organization, going sideways and down the middle.

Maybe it would have happened anyway. We’ll never know.

How To Avoid This Fate

• When you’re working on a major project, I recommend that you create a communications plan.
• This document should live side by side with the project plan, or better still, inside of it.
• Make a list of every single individual or group who can influence, touch, derail, question, wonder, doubt or decide something related to the plan.
• Make a plan to circle around, ask questions,
• Listen between the lines, and be sure that you address head on not only the merits of an idea but the impact on others