“Employers can’t fix what they don’t understand” was the quote in a recent article I read. Often, there is a large disconnect between leaders and ‘on the ground’ levels of organizations. As people start to move up in the organization, they start to prioritize their focus on the higher levels and they lose sight of something very crucial: the true pulse of the organization.
Leaders can be:
- unintentionally ignorant
- intentionally ignorant
- focused on their own agenda & their own advancement in the company
- knowledgeable about what’s going on but unaware of how to handle the different issues (lack of effective leadership skills / confidence)
Here’s a real life personal example of intentional ignorance: one time, in my full-time job in financial services, I approached my boss about a toxic manager that my team had to work closely with. [Keep in mind – I felt confident in my managing up skills because of my role as an Executive Coach & my confidence in knowing they were ineffective leaders.] I wasn’t the only person who spoke up about this toxic manager to my boss; he was well aware of the situation (I was privy to conversations he was having with others about this toxic manager in which he expressed his understanding of the toxicity of this manager).
My boss, instead of empathizing, listening, letting me vent, and/or partnering with me to create concrete solutions, turned the situation around on me and said “you need to learn to work with difficult people.” If you want an update on the team/company now: they’ve had 50% turnover in the past couple years and almost everyone on my team is gone. Both the ineffective boss and the toxic manager are still there. They did not accept viewpoints from underlings and they didn’t care that the manager is toxic. They refused (continue to refuse) to see the impact of keeping a toxic employee – and they don’t hold him accountable or try to develop him. Not only is this an example of intentional ignorance, but it’s also an example of a great way to demotivate your employee by giving inappropriate, highly ineffective feedback.
How to be in-the-know & close this gap:
Leaders must work to thoughtfully break down this invisible barrier and they must be aware that most people are naturally going to tell them what they think they want to hear. Leaders need to intentionally create a safe space where employees feel safe to express their viewpoints and provide feedback.
Frequent pulse surveys, stay interviews, and 1:1 conversations will help with this. The best way to close this gap is to have multiple points of contact seek information – both the direct manager and a neutral party (a coach or HR… ideally someone trustworthy). The caveat is: you must share the information gleaned from the majority and depending on company goals, create and communicate an action plan toward what is brought up from ‘on the ground’ employees.
If your organization doesn’t plan on taking action, there is no point in seeking the information. Doing it for show will actually be much worse for morale (an example of a mismatch with action vs words). In order for employees to feel heard, valued, and understood, you must be willing to openly share viewpoints, your action plan, and maintain ongoing communication around this.
