Hoarding Or Withholding Information – Mistakes Managers Make

Withholding Information 

These leaders and managers secretly believe “knowledge is power” and, therefore, seek to keep any valuable knowledge to themselves.  They selectively drip-feed information to employees on a “need to know” basis. This is a ploy to keep the power at the top.  Hoarding or withholding information is nothing more than a fearful attempt to retain power.

These leaders and managers never see the need to have to give their people any details about why decisions are made.  When and why things have changed, or what the key business drivers might be are frankly a mystery to their team.

The team get used to not being updated.  Therefore, they understandably feel like they are “working in the dark”.  This stunts the ability of most employees to make accurate and timely judgement calls.

Withholding or hoarding information makes those at the top of the organisation seem as if they have more power than they have because they are “in the know”.

Effective leaders and managers

Effective leaders and managers understand their teams need to know vital information about Why? What? Where? How? And When? because the teams need to be informed so they know what to do.

They happily share expertise and believe their role as a leader and manager is not only to get the work done but to help develop their team, and they do that by sharing all they know.

These leaders and managers explain business decisions with openness and honesty. trusting they made good judgments in good faith, with all the information they had at the time.

They realise they may need to make unpopular decisions at times, but also embrace the strength and ability of their teams to be able to absorb bad news. Secondly, they value honesty more than believing their team are too scared to face up to bad news.  They know. only with total honesty. can their employees make informed decisions.