s there a flipside to effective communication too?
By Sanjay Sharma
The most prominent quality of a good manager is deemed to be ‘good communication skills’. An effective communicator acquires and develops a variety of qualities, which make the personality complex. Is this complex personality good for the company? There is a gloomy side of an effective communicator as far as the corporate world is concerned. A few of these traits to be cautioned are as follows:
Malpractices: The dark side of the aura on the face of a good communicator is the involvement in the malpractices to achieve the objective and keep self personality bright. They play with the facts and figures and sometimes even with the data that can prove their points valid. Further, the actuals are buried under the carpet or passed on to the others to defend. This lethal quality of good communicators though brightens their image but brings creeping darkness to the shining reputation of a company. The audience, especially the company’s big bosses need to be critically analyse and verify the points instead of getting carried away.
The true lies: Good communication skills require proving a point or justifying it. Telling lies that appear true to the bosses is one such dangerous quality a good communicator may possess. The examples quoted or the data presented may not be right or the true presentation of the facts. These true lies if not caught at the right time may prove fatal to the health of the company. No wonder why managers generally present a rosy picture during reviews and hide the real content, bottle-necks, failures or delayed tasks. It is evident and a well-accepted fact that if truth is presented, it may backfire. Thus, the ‘true-lies’ approach by the communicator wins laurels for the person though proves catastrophic in long-term for the company.
Unrealism: A good communicator takes the audience to the world of illusion. It is a well-perceived fact that if you have more data to present or prove your point, people start getting confused. Invariably, there are different sets of people who present to impress and those who present to express. People with great knowledge have in general dismal capability to express. But they are the true source of information. They have the master key with them. They usually are the conveners of the reality show that exist in a company. So, the bosses need to extract the realism out of bad communicators instead of travelling to utopia with good communicators.
Showbiz: Good communicators generally carry the showbiz with them. They are considered as the voice of the department or company. The focus more often revolves in and around such people. This encourages erecting the stage for the drama to assessors. They are quick in burying all the ‘do not’s. What not to show, what not to present and what not to disclose are all well-planned. They generally are aware of the fact that whatever they produce will only sell and conceived by the audience.
The author is senior manager, Aircraft Research & Design Centre, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
By Sanjay Sharma
The most prominent quality of a good manager is deemed to be ‘good communication skills’. An effective communicator acquires and develops a variety of qualities, which make the personality complex. Is this complex personality good for the company? There is a gloomy side of an effective communicator as far as the corporate world is concerned. A few of these traits to be cautioned are as follows:
Malpractices: The dark side of the aura on the face of a good communicator is the involvement in the malpractices to achieve the objective and keep self personality bright. They play with the facts and figures and sometimes even with the data that can prove their points valid. Further, the actuals are buried under the carpet or passed on to the others to defend. This lethal quality of good communicators though brightens their image but brings creeping darkness to the shining reputation of a company. The audience, especially the company’s big bosses need to be critically analyse and verify the points instead of getting carried away.
The true lies: Good communication skills require proving a point or justifying it. Telling lies that appear true to the bosses is one such dangerous quality a good communicator may possess. The examples quoted or the data presented may not be right or the true presentation of the facts. These true lies if not caught at the right time may prove fatal to the health of the company. No wonder why managers generally present a rosy picture during reviews and hide the real content, bottle-necks, failures or delayed tasks. It is evident and a well-accepted fact that if truth is presented, it may backfire. Thus, the ‘true-lies’ approach by the communicator wins laurels for the person though proves catastrophic in long-term for the company.
Unrealism: A good communicator takes the audience to the world of illusion. It is a well-perceived fact that if you have more data to present or prove your point, people start getting confused. Invariably, there are different sets of people who present to impress and those who present to express. People with great knowledge have in general dismal capability to express. But they are the true source of information. They have the master key with them. They usually are the conveners of the reality show that exist in a company. So, the bosses need to extract the realism out of bad communicators instead of travelling to utopia with good communicators.
Showbiz: Good communicators generally carry the showbiz with them. They are considered as the voice of the department or company. The focus more often revolves in and around such people. This encourages erecting the stage for the drama to assessors. They are quick in burying all the ‘do not’s. What not to show, what not to present and what not to disclose are all well-planned. They generally are aware of the fact that whatever they produce will only sell and conceived by the audience.
The author is senior manager, Aircraft Research & Design Centre, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
