Be Direct.
This is Dell’s previous tagline that I’m going to borrow as a personal philosophy (I also like Nike’s “Just Do It”).
What it is: You and I get to the point. Answer first. Honest feedback prevails. It means having dispassionate conversations on controversial issues, but mutual respect. The point is to do and say the thing that moves us towards the point. Go as the crow flies to the result.
If it’s a sensitive issue, be prefacorial — give context to the comments. Use the “sandwich technique” to cushion criticism with a positive intro and a positive conclusion.
What Direct is NOT: passive aggressiveness, politics, double speak.