Last Thursday, we received comments about the practice of communicating culture through official communication channels like newsletters. Eric observed that “the problem with company newsletters is, they come from headquarters, no wait, they reek of headquarters/HR etc.”

So, Eric points out a fundamental principle of management. Cluetrain calls it the “voice.” Dale Carnegie calls it “being genuinely interested in other people.”

This culture stuff is powerful. Most companies that merge together often fail, not because of financial difficulties or unsound business practices. They fail because the acquiring company failed to understand the culture.

And, yes, even an official company newsletter can find its voice, communicating like we are all sitting down over a cup of coffee, telling the truth and talking about things that matter. -TF