I'm often asked, "Why is my team always fighting fires instead of preparing for changes?" Finding the answer may take some digging. Here are a few possibilities. Team members:

* assume others are already aware of changes and problems.

* have trouble determining what information is significant to share.

* perceive that they have limited opportunities to exchange information.

* are reluctant to bring up problems for fear of being labeled as "doom-sayers."

* fear the "shoot the messenger" syndrome.

* do not perceive that sharing information is part of the accountability they have to the team.

Team members don't normally withhold information on purpose. Failure to share information is usually the result of not knowing what others need, or assuming what might happen if and when certain kinds of information are shared.

How do you help your team stay on the leading edge? Establish a process which allows for proactive communication within the team.

Denise O'Berry

With more than two decades of operational and management experience, Denise O'Berry has developed a sharp eye for how businesses get bloated with inefficiencies, cross-purposes and miscommunication -- and how they can retool for a sleeker, smoother, strategically focused organization.

An entrepreneur who quickly built her own successful consulting business, she helps other small business owners set priorities, take action to grow their business and create the balance they want between life and work. Her clients have ranged from telecommunications giants like Verizon to Mom-and-Pop retail shops with a primary focus on those having 10 or fewer employees and up to $2.5 million in annual sales.

Denise frequently speaks to professional organizations, is the author of three booklets, and several "how-to" manuals. She writes a weekly small business column, hosts an online small business owners forum and is called upon regularly by publications such as Entrepreneur, Bank Rate Small Business, Florida Trend, Inc., various newspapers, radio and television to provide expert comments on small business issues.

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