No Surprises Please

The opposite of being surprised at work is open, honest communication and this type of communication encourages support, buy-in and the opportunity to avoid simmering issues.

Surprise parties are not my favorite to participate in or be a victim of. Okay that was harsh. Having a surprise party planned for you does not make you a victim. It does demonstrate that people care about you and want to celebrate you.

However,  surprise parties are not my favorite. The same applies to the work place...no surprises please.  As a team leader I have always found it better to be kept in the loop, and be brought in early.  

• If you had a great success…let me know.
• If you made a bad decision…let me know.
• If you need be gone for the day…let me know.
• If you are sick…let someone know.
• If you are overworked…let someone know.

Communicating gives your team the opportunity to lean in and support you.

When there is open communication

• every member of the team can give a correct response.
• about a failure, it's then you can get input how to move forward.
• about a success there can be a team celebration.

I have been in those situations when I have had to share some bad news with my boss about a project.  I would much rather go to him directly than for him to find out about the failure after the fact, from another source.  It's tough to share bad news but doing so helps build trust.

Do you like surprises?
Do you like surprises in the work place?