By Leadership Development Institute Co-Directors Donna Goss & Don Robertson

At far too many conference tables, people participating in the conversations around those tables are reluctant to talk about what really matters. Decisions are made routinely by well-meaning senior executives who are being denied key information that will influence their thinking. There may be a "raging fire in the basement," but by the time that information reaches the executive suite, the CEO or president is told: "We have a slight heating problem." One would expect very different reactions to those significantly different messages.

In a May, 2003 Harvard Business Review article entitled: Is Silence Killing Your Company?, Leslie Perlow and Stephanie Williams state: "All too often, behind failed products, broken processes, and mistaken decisions are people who chose to hold their tongues rather than to speak up." Past CEO of Allied Signal, Larry Bossidy said in his book Execution: the Discipline of Getting Things Done, "Without discussion, flaws stay hidden, leaders don't learn, and, tragically, the people presenting those carefully prepared reports never get a chance to show how much they know about their businesses." Filtered communications, or even worse, no communication, are not normally done out of deceit or malicious intent; so why does it occur?

The reality is, in today's demanding and often risk-adverse work environment, individuals find it much safer to keep their mouths shut and not bring up bad news. They don't want to risk being viewed as negative, or as a non-team player, or as not being supportive of the latest initiative or strategic thrust being contemplated. They say: "Let someone else be the one to bring it up." Such silence can often mean a key piece of information or critical success factor goes undiscussed and the chance to take appropriate action is missed. By avoiding individual risk, the entire organization is put at risk.

So how does a leader of an organization minimize the potential danger of silence around the table or information being filtered to them? The answer lies with the leader. Since the leader sets the tone, people watch the leader's reaction to information and decide what is appropriate. Being the leader is an awesome responsibility; not just because of the decisions that need to be made and implemented, but because the leader is a mirror for the organization in terms of establishing what is okay and what is not. Being defensive in response to bad news will discourage bad news. Asking questions to better understand the bad news and cultivating conversations to suggest next steps will promote the belief that learning is more important than placing blame.

What can you do to promote conversations that matter? Encourage respectful disagreement to get multiple perspectives on the table. For example, saying: "I have another perspective on that issue" will be more effective than responding: "You are wrong" or "I disagree with that point of view." Your tone of voice or facial expression go a long way to facilitate others being willing to break their silence and share information.

When people trust you and believe that learning is the intent, relevant and meaningful information starts to be discussed. Decisions are made with much better information and actions are increasingly aligned with what is really needed. Talk about it and ask for it; people need to know what the expectations are. Then when it happens, acknowledge it and demonstrate you are appreciative, even when it is a difficult conversation. Set the tone for others by modeling for those around you that conversations matter.

References:

Bossidy, Larry, Charan, Ram and Burck,Charles: Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done. Crown Business: New York, NY, 2002.

Perlow, Leslie and Williams, Stephanie: "Is Silence Killing Your Company?" May, 2003, Harvard Business Review. Vol. 81, Issue 5, p. 52.

For more information:

Donna Bodek Goss
Co-Director, Leadership Development Institute
610-861-4197
dbgoss@northampton.edu

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