Experience has shown that poor leadership of a company can lead to lower financial performance, missed opportunities and a toxic culture. These problems are all too common, so leaders have a huge opportunity. To the company’s benefit, they can foster a culture of sharing where people believe it is acceptable and helpful to express their opinions, concerns, conflicts and even mistakes.
Apathy or fear
When team members believe that talking about problems could put their jobs or reputations at risk, they stay silent. Fear-based silence is common in business cultures that encourage, reward, or tacitly tolerate manipulating information, blaming others for mistakes, lying, or forcing someone to take actions they don’t want to.
For example, if an employee pointed out a problem, but management tried to manipulate the person into believing the problem was with themselves, rather than addressing the issue the employee had raised.
Apathy manifests itself when people believe that the consequences of sharing their problems are not worth it. Raising concerns may not carry risks for them, but if it doesn’t bring about positive change, people won’t bother.
Building a culture of sharing
Inclusive leaders want to work in a team and culture where people are engaged and willing to speak up for the success of the entire organization. Inclusive leaders are those who make people feel like they are in the right place and have a sense of belonging. Trust and honesty in the workplace help employees give their best.
Stephen Shedletzky, author of “Speak-up Culture: When Leaders Truly Listen, People Step Up”, looks at examples of how organizations with a culture of sharing are safer, more innovative, more engaged, and perform better than their peers.
To sustain a culture of sharing, a cycle of encouragement and reward must be built to inspire employees. This happens through bonuses or promotion, but also by saying “thank you“.
By encouraging them to talk, one can create a psychologically safe workplace where team members want to talk. When it is publicly declared that management is interested in their ideas, they are more likely to share.
