Why Don’t People Communicate Up in an Organization?

The CEO and the CFO set in opposite corners of the room. But both stuck their hands into the air just as I called for questions at the end of my keynote. “Why don’t employees communicate upward in an organization?” the CEO asked with a twinge of frustration. The CFO added, “My question exactly!”

It’s a common question in the executive suite—even from the most well-liked and brightest leaders in the boardroom. And the question deserves serious thought because typically when downward communi...