Part 1
The Open Door Policy Lie
A manager proudly announces their open door policy, but invisible barriers -- unspoken consequences, being labeled difficult, retaliation -- ensure nobody ever walks through it.
The Management Communication Playbook
A three-part series on the communication failures that define bad management -- the open door that is actually closed, the feedback sandwich that poisons praise, and the meeting that should have been a conversation. Each cartoon exposes a pattern that every employee recognizes and most managers do not realize they are doing.
Cartoons in This Series
-
- Part 2
The Feedback Sandwich
A manager assembles the classic feedback sandwich -- compliment, criticism, compliment -- not realizing that the technique has trained their team to distrust every piece of praise.
- Part 3
The Meeting That Should Have Been a Conversation
A manager schedules a 12-person meeting to address an issue that required a 10-minute conversation with one person -- because the direct conversation felt too uncomfortable to have.