I was at a national conference with a private equity group that I participated in recently and a good friend of mine named Michael Fugler who is a well-known speaker and investment banker spoke about the word candor and its importance in business.
Without candor, all we have is a bunch of smiles and no growth. We all feel good for the moment because no feelings are put at risk, but it is just delaying the inevitable pain and failure that is coming in the future. He used a great example of the various performance shows on TV such as The Voice and American Idol. If the judges never told them anything that needed to be worked on, how could the contestants grow and develop? In our politically correct society, it has become taboo to give people honest feedback. I am not saying you tear people to shreds, but properly delivered feedback is essential to any progress. How is candor built into your company and life? Do you trust that you can have a constructive conversation with your boss, peers and team without people having hurt feelings?
‘There’s no crying in baseball!?!?!’ This famous quote by Tom Hanks in the movie ‘A League of Their Own’ signifies what candor means to me. In business, you have to be focused on the goal at hand of growth. You have to take into account how people feel for sure, but not at the cost of the organization. Your team is going to feel a lot worse if you move forward with an idea that is bad and the company fails due to lack of honest feedback. Feelings are important, but real trust is vital.
So how do you encourage this in your organization? What steps can you take to ensure it happens?
Create: Safety and Value.
Safety means that your team understands that it is ok to challenge an idea or give an opinion. When people give an opinion are they teased, chastised or ignored? Even light hearted teasing can squash any willingness to speak up. I have been in environments where if you did not go with the boss’s opinion, you were looked at as an outsider. You were not invited to lunch, you were not given opportunities for advancement. The exact phrase I was told was: Don’t you understand that getting promoted is 90% about whether I like you or not? How motivating is that to go against the grain? Make your team feel safe by encouraging ideas and debates. At some point, everyone has to understand a decision has to be made that all will not agree with, but at least it was made after a discussion.
Value means that they have to perceive value in their part of the conversation. If you as the leader ask for feedback solely because a coach, book, CD, workshop, etc suggested you do that and then dismiss it before the last sound comes out of your team members mouth, feedback will be few and far between because what is the point? Once feedback is given, it needs to be taken seriously and considered. Statements such as ‘lets see where that idea goes for a minute’ can give the group an opportunity to explore the idea and come to a conclusion. If it is a ‘no-go’ type
In conclusion, thank the participant for their participation and ideas and encourage more, but always attempt to make them feel as if they and their ideas are valued by the group.
There are a myriad of ways to get people to participate in a group, these are just a few ideas. Start with trying to see genuine value in every person in the room. If you can’t see any, either they don’t belong in the room or you don’t. The choice is yours. Everyone in a meeting should be there for a reason besides that they were told to be there. Every minute of a meeting should be extremely valuable. Top performing teams understand this and efficiency soars. So get out there and sing or juggle or dance or whatever you do at the highest level you can. Leave it all out there on the stage. And then when it is time to get your feedback, take it to heart and try to improve. The winners are never as good on day 1 as by the finale. They grow and improve along the way due to the willingness of a team to be candid.
The results you want are out there, let me help you find them.
