Are you a cryptic informer? Or a hoarder?

Try this quiz:

• Do you provide all the information that people need to know to do their jobs and to feel good about being a member of the team or a part of your organization?
• Do you provide individuals with the information they need to make accurate decisions?
• Are you timely with the information that you do provide?

It seems so obvious, doesn't it? How could you be in a leadership position--whether a team lead, a mid-level manager, or a C-level executive -- and answer anything other than "yes" to those three questions above?

Here's the rub. A lot of the executives I work with every day tell me they do these things. And I think they're sincere; they believe they do. But they don't. They might:

• Hoard information or not see sharing it as important
• Tell too little (or too much...which is also damaging)
• Tell too late
• Be inconsistent, informing some people better than others
• Use their favorite mode (email? oral?) all the time, appropriate or not

People want and need to understand what's going on around them. Obviously it's not possible --or necessary --for everyone to know everything. Ask yourself, "What do people need to know so they are well equipped to do their jobs well?" Do they know:

1. As much as possible about their jobs? This is a no-brainer and applies to everyone on the payroll. You can't give people too much information about their own jobs.
2. How their role fits within the team and the department and the organization?
3. The overall vision for the enterprise? What's happening within the industry? The "big picture?"

Because it seems like a simple skill, we often take it for granted that we're doing it well. If you're not sure how well you do at "informing," ask some trusted team members and peers  (...who will be honest with you) to assess your performance on the eleven basic qualities and questions listed above. Then, when you do, accept that feedback as a valuable gift, because you've just been informed about your foundational status as a leader. Good luck!