We Pay the Price When We Try to Provide Candid Feedback

The Challenge

Employees are afraid to provide candid feedback, because they believe the leadership has created an environment where it cannot be given without repercussions. Therefore, there is no transparency in communication and many times incomplete or inaccurate information is given. This may result in poor decisions, lost opportunities, or worse, executives might not know of a problem until it blows up.

The Core Problem

Grass Roots employees are the closest to the day to day problems, yet don’t feel like they have the support of their line manager to say what needs to be said. Studies show that “getting people to speak candidly with them, especially it if is bad news,” is one of the greatest challenges organizations face. If any past event in an organization’s history resulted in any form of repercussion for someone speaking out, then that incident lives a long life and people will speak political correctness and tip toe lightly around the truth.  Managers have to work extra hard to create a safe environment that encourages open and candid conversations. The critical question for executives and managers is this – How do you create an environment where people can trust the management team not to ‘shoot the messenger’?

The Lifeline to Success

In our Leadership Frameworks™ workshops we provide a formula for executives that establishes trust in the work environment for employees to speak with integrity. Feedback must be focused on the organization’s priorities and have suggestions on alternative actions to be considered. This is reinforced by role-playing, observing management and front line conversations, coaching to all parties during our intervention, and providing regular updates to executives.

In our Grass Roots Innovation™ (GRI™ ) workshops, we provide frontline workers with the tools to talk to managers and executives with facts and metrics that make them fearless. We provide frontline workers with an easily accessible set of tools to – identify problems and opportunities; analyze root cause of problems; metrics to track progress and ongoing success, cost/benefit analyses to show ROI, and action plans to which they are accountable. Employees are excited and enthused to present their findings and work plans honestly, even when they are revealing failures that exist in the current operation. Managers and executives have been trained to listen and appreciate the honesty. And, when they see the clear factual case and a workforce ready to dig in and make things better, they’re all ears. Managers and executives discover new insights into  their own organization and workers suddenly find themselves as key contributors as thinking innovators along with their day-to-day duties. This creates an organizational ecosystem that drives success