A 2010 employee survey included disturbing findings, and we doubt they’ve changed much during this year: Just 11% of employees strongly agreed that their managers’ words and actions were consistent, 7% strongly agreed that they trust senior leaders to look out for employees’ best interests, and about 20% disagree that their company’s top leader is honest and ethical. Communications consultant David Grossman cited these results in a new edition of his book You Can’t Not Communicate (Little Brown Dog Publishing, 2011).

So what does Grossman recommend? He stresses that everyone in management, from front-line supervisors right up to top management, needs to communicate. Communication must be planned, and one of its crucial roles is to explain the organization’s strategies and how managers see those strategies being carried out. Grossman describes eight questions that most, if not all, employees have. They start with “me”: (1) What’s my job? (2) How am I doing? Then there’s a transition question: (3) Does anyone care about me? The final four questions are what he calls “we” questions, and employees won’t get to them unless the first three are answered to their satisfaction: (4) What’s going on? (50 What’s our business strategy? (6) How are we doing? (7) What are our vision and values? (8) How can I help? Clearly, when employees get to that final question, they’re committed to managers and the organization.

Here’s more Grossman advice: Remember that employees want not only to understand but also to be understood. They want less rhetoric and more humanity. They want to understand their managers’ expectations, but they also want to be listened to more than talked at. They want the organization not just to take their suggestions but also to act on them. Show employees you genuinely care about them, empathize with them, recognize them, and appreciate them. Note that some of those caring expressions must come from immediate supervisors and department heads: It can’t all come from the top down. These are tips for those mid-level people:

1. Manage by walking around; you need to know your people and what they’re doing.
2. When a subordinate speaks to you about his or her work, paraphrase what you heard, so he or she is sure you’re listening.
3. Ask your team members how they’re doing and what’s on their minds.
4. Use the same procedures you want your employees to use, and explain why you’re doing so.

Tip: As a leader and communicator, don’t try to answer every question. You may not have the answers: Say you don’t know yet or that you’ll look into it.