What's the Impact?
There will always be legitimate reasons for a shift in priorities, the occasional missed deadline, or a change in strategic direction. It could be at the team level, in a department, or across the company. But when those things escalate from "occasionally" to becoming the "norm," they become unmanageable. They create noise.
Never-ending noise is deafening and is simply not sustainable long-term. It has an impact, and usually not just in one area. For example:
Impact of Noise
- Lost revenue
- Increased cost
- Poor customer experience
- Resource constraints
- Low employee engagement
- Employee churn
- Employee burnout
- Increased or a high level of attrition
- Damaged leadership reputation
- Damaged company reputation
When noise occurs, it's common for employees to think leadership couldn't possibly be on the same page. That old saying of "the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing" comes to mind quite often, especially as it relates to competing or shifting priorities, or strategic direction.
When employees offer feedback, speaking up to course-correct a project or prevent a foreseen issue, it often goes unheeded. And that's a shame, especially when that, too, becomes the norm.