UNDERCOVERCOACH


WHYWON’T YOU BE OPENWITHME? I CAN’T TELL YOU!


PART 1


Let us pause for a moment and make a list of some of the things we might like to discuss more openly in the workplace: wages and salaries perhaps, terms and conditions, job security, promotion prospects, why we need to do some tasks in a certain way, how key decisions are made, why some decisions are delayed, how we are getting on as an enterprise in the recession, what about those people who are not pulling their weight in the team, and that favouritism I have noticed, to name but ten.


Why don’t we always talk about these topics openly at work? Why do things have to reach a crisis point before anything is said? Why do some supervisors keep so many things to themselves? Why do team members gossip about a colleague, but will never tell the person to his/her face? Why does everyone in the team discuss the boss’s performance but never include the boss in these discussions? Why do people at work even lie and deliberately deceive others?


Why? Research suggests it is because of fear. Fear of setting a precedent, fear of being seen as soft, fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of being found out ... please add to this list any other fears or issues that you think might apply.


WHEN MORALE SUFFERS – PERFORMANCE CAN SUFFER.


Fears lead to conspiracies, rumours and gossip. Managers refuse to discuss certain things and members of staff keep quiet about other things. Rumours and gossip can cause fear and anxiety. Fear and anxiety can damage morale. When morale suffers – performance can suffer. And this is all because we are afraid of discussing certain topics openly at work?


I can vividly recall the remarks of a fellow consultant (named Nick) who had been called into a big UK airline company to help them with what he had been told was a ‘communication’ problem. Apparently, some serious and embarrassing breakdowns in communication had been identified and there were now real concerns about the way information was being shared in the company.


Nick began his work with some diagnostic questions like ‘How long had communication been seen as a problem?’ (Ever since anyone could remember). ‘What had been tried already?’ (Nothing much) and ‘What sort of information was not being communicated effectively?’


On this last point Nick gained some real insights. The company had been formed after World War II and most of the managers had previously been in the RAF where, during the war, because of the very high security levels, people were only told things on a ‘need to know’ basis. The person who had information to share would decide who needed to know the information and would then tell only them. If they were in any doubt about whether a particular person should be told; the rule was - don’t tell them.


This led to a culture of secrecy as the company grew after the war which lasted until the present day or certainly until the day Nick arrived. Nick pretty soon began to go through something like our list of topics above to check precisely what was ‘discussable’ by people at all levels in the company.


Some things are so undiscussable that their very ‘discussability’ is not discussable


He got as far as ‘wages and salaries’ and was interrupted by a person who said ‘You can stop right there Nick. You need to know that there are some things in this organisation that are so un-discussable that their very ‘discussability’ is not discussable’. Not much openness there then.


There is also research that tends to suggest that we fear the reaction our openness might get ‘in the moment’ and then afterwards i.e. the negative consequences that might follow on from


being more open about things. Like me you may have personal experience of your openness being punished.


Wouldn’t it be great if we could feel confident enough to say whatever we like to anyone without fear or worry that it will be taken the wrong way or used against us!


Of course we sometimes come across people who are very blunt and like to ‘call a spade a spade’. However this ‘spade calling’ is often done in a crude ‘there you are I’ve said it now’ kind of way which can cause people to take offence.


Worse still people can then harbour a grudge ‘forever’, or never take that person into their confidence again. Why? Because just blurting something out only eases the frustrations of the ‘blurting’ person, it rarely helps the other person or the situation they are in.


Sometimes things have to be said clearly and openly. It is great to be polite and considerate as are most people try to be but sometimes things have to be said clearly and openly so that we can have the kind of effective communication that will lead to improved morale and a better performance from the work team.


In the next edition I will look at the sophisticated ways that people AVOID being open and honest and what we can do to improve our own openness and the openness of others at work.


The UnderCoverCoach has been helping people in UK industry to get better results for over 25 years. His clients include British Gas, the Nuclear Directorate of the HSE and United Utilities If you are facing a situation that needs more openness and honesty and you think it might help to speak to someone you can contact the Coach by e-mail via duncan@greenenergypublishing.co.uk


FRESH FROM SUCCESSFUL SPEAKING ASSIGNMENTS IN VIENNA, IRELAND AND CHIPPING SODBURY – THE UNDERCOVERCOACH MAKES THE CASE (IN PART 1) FOR MORE OPENNESS IN THEWORKPLACE.


IN PART 2 HE LOOKS AT THE SOPHISTICATED METHODS PEOPLE USE TO AVOID BEING OPENWITH OTHERS AND HOWWE CAN TACKLE THIS PROBLEM IN OURSELVES AND IN OTHERS.


Wind Energy NETWORK 17


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