In the age of social sharing, people who work together know more and more about each other. In general, this is a good thing. Research shows our brains respond positively to people when we feel a personal connection with them. Command and control management is on its way out, and bosses who practice empathy and make an effort to connect are in. But, when leaders open up too much to their teams, they can also completely undermine themselves. So, when does sharing become oversharing? This issue often presents itself when there are new initiatives or changes in an organization, and leaders aren’t sure how much of their worries they should reveal. The best leaders are honest about how they feel while simultaneously presenting a clear path forward. This is called being selectively vulnerable — or opening up while still prioritizing everyone’s boundaries. A good rule of thumb for figuring out if you’re about to overshare is to ask yourself: “How would I feel if my manager said this to me?” If it’s something that you’d be thankful to hear, chances are, your reports will feel similarly. On the other hand, if you think members of your team might be feeling anxious about the project, it’s okay to surface those feelings to help them feel less isolated. Always try to pair realism with optimism, and share when you sense it will be helpful to others.
In the age of social sharing, people who work together know more and more about each other. In general, this is a good thing for peers and leaders. Research shows our brains respond positively to people when we feel a personal connection with them. We try harder, perform better, and are kinder to our colleagues. Command and control management is on its way out, and bosses who practice empathy and make an effort to connect with their subordinates are in.
See the original blog:
https://hbr.org/2019/02/how-leaders-can-open-up-to-their-teams-without-oversharing?fbclid=IwAR3CbIe-y8eyZRxul0aEnWZCBxXueE1PQ_JvHQPwRueZDm0ot-boG5sY3Ng
