When Silence Doesn't Signal Assent

I once worked in a headquarters where the philosophy at the top was that praise was unnecessary because if you still around that meant you were doing a good job.

Needless to say, that was not reassuring.

Executives and managers often miss the significance of not praising a project or of failing to respond positively to an email. They don't realize that silence is often interpreted as disapproval or hostility and that their good feelings are not presumed. There is more risk in undercommunicating than in overcommunicating and yet, especially in these times of lean staffs and pressing priorities, people can easily miss opportunities to reassure.

I knew one executive who had an extraordinary record with an organization. He resigned, largely due to a sense that his efforts were unappreciated. He later said that if one of the higher-ups had asked him to stay, he would have, but no call was made. All he heard was silence.

I guess they were busy.