Train Wreck

Imagine this situation:

You are at a company all-hands meeting and the executives are arguing with one another. Watching the put-downs to each other is like watching a train wreck. You wish you could do something, even look away, but you are powerless to do so.

You keep thinking they know they are in front of the entire company and that trust in them is paramount to having a successful workplace. You cannot leave because that would draw too much attention to yourself. You wait it out and wonder how this situation could happen.

Now consider an alternative:

There are issues in several departments that have led to missing deadlines. This has caused strain between the executives. The executives hold a meeting where they have open, honest, constructive dialogue. They assign action items to an executive with expected dates of completion. The discussion resolves the bulk of their frustration.

In the next company all-hands meeting, the executives acknowledge how things have been going. They present the action items that will move the company forward.

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Both situations have the same underlying problems. The difference in approach led to drastically different outcomes.

What do employees take away from the second situation?