LeaderShip Edge

May 2007 :: Speaking Up

“In most cases, the unwillingness of someone to speak up, to express dissent, and/or to challenge prevailing opinion is not simply about the existence of personality flaws or skill deficiencies…it has structural and cultural roots that…have become difficult to change.”

- Michael Roberto from his book “Why Great Leaders Don’t Take Yes for an Answer.”

“Now, are we clear on what needs to be done here?”

A long pause grips the room, nervous glances all around.

“Great, I’m glad to see we are all in agreement.”

The boss gets up, and leaves the room. The rest of the team sits frozen. Finally, someone speaks up.

“So, what do you think needs to be done?”

“To be honest, I really don’t know either.”

Nobody says it, but it’s weighing heavily on everyone’s mind and at the upper reaches of their subconscious … “I clearly don’t understand the purpose of this initiative, why didn’t I speak up?”

The fact is - in business, as in any other aspect of life, no one wants to be embarrassed. The common belief is that it is better to remain quiet and thought to be stupid, rather than open one’s mouth and remove all doubt.

The problem is - in business, there are other issues at play (aside from embarrassment) that cause these episodes of “vocal paralysis”. Issues such as politics, power struggles, and departmental silos all contribute to the slow slide into less than excellent organizational performance.

The outcome is - organizations become infected with a lack of candour, poor understanding of expectations, reduced accountability, and a culture that cannot truly embrace its full potential.

The solution is - leaders within organizations have to believe in the power of “many”; to welcome dissent, and ultimately encourage straight talk from all employees.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs once said that “it doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do”, rather “hire smart people so they can tell us what to do”.

This realization may be one of the critical differentiators that has led to Apple’s recent success. The sad reality is that most organizations do not embrace this mindset, and many even see it as being the equivalent of “allowing the inmates to run the asylum”.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

The bottom line is really quite simple. The success and value of an organization is based on the cumulative total of the decisions that are made within the organization. Actually, to be more precise, the success of an organization is based on the sum total of the “successful” decisions that are made.

In other words, the more decisions that are made, that are ultimately successful, the better off the organization will (should) be.

The challenge, therefore, is for the boss, yes - you, to realize that the collective intelligence of your team is far superior to your own personal intellect.

Sad, but true. NEVER!

Glad it’s true.

To illustrate the point more effectively, when the “poll the audience” life-line was chosen on ABC’s hit game show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?”, the audience was right 97% of the time.

The question, therefore, is are you willing to listen?

Remember your C,C,C’s

As a leader, in order to truly develop an organization that embraces the concept of straight talk and dissent, you must work hard to develop:

Candour – Up until now, speaking up has generally been a “career limiting move”. The point has been to keep the boss happy, in order to move up. From now on, striving to simply keep the boss happy will be the sure path to career suicide.

Consensus - Be careful - consensus and collaboration are radically different concepts. For an organization to move “at pace”, all (not just some) of the issues affecting the team and its performance must be brought to resolution based on the full collaboration of all team members.

Commitment - At the end of the day, no one, no initiative, no project nor any organization will reach its true potential unless all team members involved have “skin in the game”. Commitment to the task at hand is crucial to ensure there can be accountability. Better yet, when a problem arises, it will be brought to the attention of the team, who can then develop a solution.

In Our Opinion

The Beacon Group’s Key’s to Developing an Organizational Backbone

Say No - As in… I will no longer think of myself as the smartest person in the room. Your employees are smarter than you. Let them know it - often. Pool their knowledge, encourage their ideas, and listen to them.

Say No - As in… I will no longer invite team members to meetings and then let them remain quiet throughout the entire meeting. Realize that meetings are “meetings of the minds”, not “meetings of the bums”. If they’re in your meeting, they’re expected to participate - fully.

Say No - As in… No one will be reprimanded for speaking up. As long as the “counter-point” is constructive and focused on the facts, rather than opinion, it is valid, and welcomed.

Say No - As in… No matter what, the organization comes first, and all decisions will be made with the best outcome possible for the organization in mind. As Duke Basketball Coach Mike Krzyzewski (Coach K) repeatedly tells his players “Never let the name on the back of your jersey become more important than the name on the front of your jersey.”