The Truth About Managing People, Third Edition

Truth 56. Use Participation to Reduce Resistance to Change

It had been a year since John Rose had opened his Rose Bud Bakery and Café—and business was booming. In 12 short months, he had outgrown the 1,200 square feet he had originally rented. So he negotiated to take over an additional 1,000 square feet next door. Then, in what many of his business friends thought was a bit strange, he closed Rose Bud for an entire day one Wednesday but paid his staff of 11 people to still come in. Starting at 8 a.m., John laid out his problem—the business was dramatically short of space—and his solution of renting additional space. But then he said, “You know as much about this business and our needs as I do. I want to spend this day getting your input on a ...