In 2000, I got one of the greatest opportunities in my career. I was appointed publisher over the Nelson Books division of Thomas Nelson Publishers, which was one of the top English language publishers in the world. I knew our team had experienced some financial troubles, but I was thrilled for the chance to lead.<\/p>\n
Then I saw the profit-and-loss statement. Ouch! We were the least profitable division in the company. There had been little or no revenue growth for three years straight, and we had actually lost money the prior year. Everyone was tense. Nobody understood what was happening.<\/p>\n
I was still excited about the opportunity but wondered, \u201cHow come nobody told me what was really going on?\u201d<\/p>\n
A company that withholds information from employees is like a house built on a floodplain\u2014a disaster waiting to happen. This is especially true when the company is not doing well or major changes are afoot. Rumors begin to circulate. Morale plummets and tension rises. It\u2019s a perfect environment for mistrust, suspicion, or even panic.<\/p>\n\t\t