Powerful summary

Imagine you’re at the edge of a raging river. You want to get to the other side, but there’s only a wooden footbridge and, for all you know, the wood is rotten and will break the moment you put weight on it.

Well, if you don’t constantly communicate with employees and management, your business will be like that bridge – a potentially flimsy structure that might plunge you straight into the rapids of bankruptcy.

What if, unbeknownst to you, your breath reeked of garlic? Or what if, without really realizing it, you habitually picked your nose when deep in thought? Would you want your coworkers to politely ignore such pungent or unsightly details? Or would you rather have the tough news delivered to your face so that you could mend your ways?

Though potentially painful, radical honesty is extremely beneficial, because it creates an atmosphere of transparency that’s conducive to continuous learning and growth – an atmosphere that politer policies will never lead to.

It’s often thought that debate is a sign of discord, and that debate within a business is a symptom of corporate disunity. But this isn’t the case at all. As long as people’s opinions are based in fact, debate is extremely generative and should be encouraged.

Constructive debate, far from causing corporate division, is the best way to enliven a company. It introduces new points of view and keeps workers from getting too fixed in their work habits. It should thus be heartily encouraged.

We’ve all heard that we should enjoy the moment because the present is all we have. And while that might be sound personal advice, in the world of business, it would be foolhardy not to look toward the future.

More specifically, you should always hire the team you know you’ll want to work with in the future too.

More often than not, hiring goes hand in hand with firing. So what’s the most effective way to bring people on and let people go?

Well, here are some helpful pointers:

Have you ever tried to resell anything? Maybe an old smartphone or laptop or car? It’s not so hard to calculate an asking price, right? All you have to do is go online, figure out how much that particular model is worth and – presto! – you’ve got a price tag.

People are a bit harder to put a price on. But here’s a tip to make the calculation of employee worth a little bit easier.

This morning, you gave the presentation of a lifetime – and you nailed it. The audience was utterly captivated, laughed at your jokes and shouted and applauded when you finished. Now it’s evening, and it suddenly hits you: they were laughing at you, and those shouts were taunting, that applause derisive.

Well, to avoid employees having such unpleasant and delayed realizations, you need to give employees feedback constantly.