Can you break down a culture of silence?
I’m sure, that after the last few weeks ‘food for thought’, it’s become clear that a culture of silence can be more than just a little unhealthy… It can be deadly. We all need to take a stand together and work vigilantly to ensure that we change unhealthy cultures in our offices and homes. We can make hard conversations easier and together we can take Key Steps to…
Create cultures of clear and constructive communication
- Create a dynamic culture of excellence where feedback is normal, expected and welcomed. For example, have debriefs after sales meetings of perform after-action reviews where the after-action questions are known before the projects begin. At home, encourage your children to share their thoughts, feelings, ideas and concerns with you. Make it the norm for people to ask, “What is working? What is not working? And how can we overcome it?” In other words, live the spirit of kaizen. The energy around these discussions needs to be one of development not criticism.
- Establish clear, measurable targets. Clarity enables success, fuels motivation and informs accountability. Make sure that this happens both at work and at home. It is much more likely that communication and feedback will happen when there is clarity on who is responsible for what, by when and according to what standards. If you need to learn more about setting goals, contact Tiffany and she will send you some information about our ‘Key Steps to Goal Setting and Managing Performance’ workshop.
- Commit to every person receiving feedback everyday. Employees complain that they don’t receive enough feedback; give them 60 second bursts every day. Don’t wait for the annual review to give feedback – practise giving feedback regularly. Teach people how to give feedback in constructive ways and how to receive feedback without becoming defensive. Practise the same principles at home. And remember to regularly tell those you love and appreciate that you value them. Remember the 2:1 rule, i.e. give twice as much praise as development points (note that I don’t refer to this as negative feedback or criticism because it shouldn’t be) and you can …
