What You Say is What You Are

Living is easy in my home town - Greenville, SC.  Ranked #4 out of the top 100 places to live by Relocate America, Greenville is doing an awful lot right when it comes to making the "downtown" area vibrant and desirable. But, always on the lookout for topical items that I can weave into a post about influence and aligning behavior and goals I ran across something interesting in the Greenville newspaper the other day. 

Here's the headline:

"Teen problem 'solved,' police chief says
Curfew idea remains controversial"

The article goes on to discuss the fact that in the past month or so a lot of teens have been congregating downtown with some associated problems.  As an outsider - if you read that headline you'd probably assume we have a real problem in downtown - well we don't.  We've have a few issues - one broken window and some fights.  (I urge you to read the article with a jaundiced eye - you'll see some real inflamatory words strewn througout with no real context or back up... ie:  hundreds, numerous, exploded.)

Key in the article is this passage:

"It's solved for this time," said Police Chief Terri Wilfong, who also told City Council that a broader youth curfew that has been discussed would be a useful tool in case the problem arises again.

Council members remained divided on the issue, with Amy Ryberg Doyle and Susan Reynolds saying the city should seriously consider a curfew in order to get ahead of any unsafe scenarios involving youth crowds.

Three other council members and Mayor Knox White rejected the idea, saying the public discussion alone is already dangerous because it risks painting downtown as unsafe and sending the message that the city doesn't want any youths in the area.

The Mayor and his associates have this EXACTLY right.  Installing an ongoing curfew in order to eliminate a "potential future" problem does communicate that downtown is unsafe.  I've lived in Greenville for 14 years and never have I heard that downtown was unsafe.  I do worry that the next time a newcomer comes to Greenville and hears that there is a curfew they will think... "downtown must have a real problem if they have to limit access to teenagers.  I don't want to put myself at risk so I won't go downtown."

In other words - the installation of the curfew - and truthfully, the ongoing public discussion on how "unsafe" downtown is - is creating a point of view that isn't based in reality - effectively creating a bigger problem - the impression that downtown is unsafe.  Which - to make sure I'm not adding to the problem I'll reiterate - downtown is VERY safe. 

Your Company is No Different

The same thing happens in companies every day.  A small point of view - say a failure in one area of the company gets discussed a bit more than it should and the new story is that the company is a failure.  Many, many organizations have gone down the tubes based on rumour and innuendo when stories start to become reality.

I highlight this to provide warning that what you talk about - no matter how small - can morph into a problem if not tempered by the facts and reality. Give too much credence to a story it will grow legs and run. 

As a manager in an organization one of your very, very important jobs is to make sure the appropriate messages get communicated - with the appropriate context.  Don't shy away from negatives - but put them in perspective.  Understand that those that hear the story second-hand won't have the same context you have - and your job is to communicate the reality of your company and it's culture to your employees.

What you say really can become what you are.