Talk to Me: Encourage Diverse Views & Straight Talk with Your Team
Recently, I was approached by a leader who wanted to make a significant culture change on her team. “I need team members to be able to speak candidly during meetings. We need to be able to feel comfortable challenging one another as a matter of course.” This is a sentiment I hear often from leaders, even more frequently now than in the past.
There are a variety of reasons why team members hesitate to speak out. The first is fear – fear of being wrong, fear of being judged, or fear of push back from the leader. This can be a result of a negative past experiences with a boss, or a deeply engrained culture to “be nice” and “go along.” Maybe they’ve been shut down repeatedly and have simply given up? It also may simply be the communication style of the individual. The team member may naturally resist conflict and, when faced with others who thrive on it, speaking out may be quite intimidating. Why then, do we want to expend the effort to make the shift when there are plenty of direct people in the mix?
The benefits of a receptive work environment are exponential. First, creating open communication builds trust. Trust leads to engagement, creativity, and retention. According to Stephen M.R. Covey, trust is the single most critical competency needed today – it reduces costs and increases speed. Working in an unguarded, trusting environment also opens doors to innovation and collaboration. Soliciting diverse views leads to new ideas from people with a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Innovation in turn, can help solve tough problems and increase productivity
So how do we make the switch to an open, welcoming environment where everyone feels comfortable voicing their opinion? How do we avoid the consequences of talented employees who simply “assimilate”? (Star Trek fans can relate) Working with a variety of great leaders across a wide landscape of companies taught me some authentic ways to accomplish this:
State your intent. Let your team know that you want meetings to be a safe space where people can engage in honest conversation. Be clear in your desire for an inclusive meeting environment so there is no ambiguity on where you stand. “Let’s hold meetings where all voices are heard. I challenge you to challenge me.”
Create a culture of feedback. According to David Rock of the Neuroleadership Institute, feedback is a 10x opportunity – meaning, we can be ten times more effective in a feedback-rich setting. One way to create this environment, according to Rock, is for leaders to start asking for feedback. When we solicit feedback, both people feel less threatened, the act of choosing to give feedback enables autonomy, and significantly decreases the threat response. Be intentional when asking all team members for input and feedback; create a sense of belonging in which everyone’s voice is valued and heard.
Recognize and acknowledge team members when they share ideas. Whether you agree or disagree with the concept, be sure to encourage continued conversation. Reinforce behavior you want to see repeated. “Thank you for sharing your opinion,” “Kudos for disagreeing with me,” or “I really appreciate your perspective on that.”
Get curious. Gain further understanding of ideas and further build a candid culture by asking follow-up questions. “Tell me more about that,” “Explain how your view differs from mine,” or “What are your ideas to fix it?” Adopt the philosophy of leadership coach Shirzad Chamine, author of Positive Intelligence, and assume that all ideas are “at least 10% right.” Starting from there and using a “Yes, And” approach will help you actively listen and add your views to augment new perspectives. Encourage other team members to continue to build on one another’s ideas for groundbreaking results.
I am confident that we all can speak candidly in the right team environment. And when all team members communicate clearly and openly about what’s on their mind, the possibilities are limitless.