If you manage people, you need to remember that what you don’t know definitely can hurt you.
Everyone says they have an open-door policy, but most employees believe no good comes to the bearer of bad news. Rightly or wrongly, they are likely to think there is a kill-the-messenger culture in your organization that gives them an excuse to conceal or distort negative information.
A good manager must assume that some employees will not tell the hard truth and that some will not tell the whole truth.
A good manager must get out of his/her office, walk around and talk to people. Develop a relationship with at least a couple of people you can really trust to tell you the truth.
For more tips on being the boss, see Ten Truths for the Person in Charge.