I was completely blown away by a story a friend of mine shared. Just to give you a bit of background, she holds a senior management position for a global hotel chain and works in one of their local properties. You can imagine how hard the tourism industry has been hit with the state of the economy – my friend’s hotel has seen a lot of cut backs in the past few months. On the way to a senior management meeting last week, she was cornered by a co-worker and asked if she had heard the news. Being out the loop apparently, she learned two of their peers (also friends) who held management positions were just let go after years of service, and to expect the announcement to be made at the meeting. They were both in shock and of course worried to death about their friends and their own jobs! So off to the meeting they went and to their surprise, no announcement. Not a word. My friend spent the entire day in cold sweats, not being able focus let alone function. Later on her manager stopped by her office and my friend couldn’t help but ask what was going on. Much to her shock, she got blasted with a “how do you know about this?” and “who told you?” My friend refused to disclose her source and went home feeling completely frustrated and concerned. A few days later, the cat was let out of the bag-announcements were made and my friend received an apology from her boss for her inappropriate reaction. Apparently, it was big mess – those who heard the news called those who had been let go, but they hadn’t been told yet! There were people calling in on stress leave, and some even quit to look for a more stable place to work.

I know how important leadership communication is - this story reinforces that many organizations have yet to grasp how critical it is, especially in times of chaos and crisis. It can make or break your brand. Leadership had the chance to communicate calm and control in the midst of the storm. So much unnecessary confusion and stress … and how different this situation could have been with a little clarity and compassion. I wonder what the buzz is now that news of this fiasco is out. I’m guessing it hasn’t positively impacted their brand…