End the Fireworks: How to Develop Truth-Tellers Around You (Part 2)

 

Would you like a bullet-proof, sure-fire, guaranteed way to ensure people lie to you? Do this:

• Whenever someone tells you something, judge the information as good or bad;
• Or shake your head and tell them they’re wrong;
• Or laugh at them and let them know how stupid they are.

And if you want to ensure your children lie to you, after they tell you something, ask interrogation questions, such as “Why did you do that?” and “What were you thinking?”

Those leaders who develop truth tellers around them welcome all information. And they know that how they respond to the information determines what type of information they’ll receive in the future. Treating the information as neutral (it is only information, and your judgment is the only thing that makes it good or bad) allows people and teams to move an issue forward faster…because no one has to navigate your issues.

Try this experiment: Withhold value judgments on the information you receive. In response to what you are told, simply acknowledge you heard it – “thank you” – and then ask a question that launches the process of moving the situation forward. As you do this, observe what happens to the depth and detail of conversations as people realize that they’re not playing with fire when they approach you.

Be prepared: If you attempt this experiment be prepared for this: higher quality decision making is on the horizon as full information will increase.

In our next blog we’ll cover strategies to assist those who want to tell the truth to others – and live to tell about it!

 

Tell the Truth: Are You Bringing the Fireworks Show into the Office?

 Want to see some excitement in the office this week?

Fireworks exploded all across the U.S. this past weekend as the country celebrated its birthday. But fireworks don’t have to be a “weekend” activity! In too many offices, fireworks can be a daily occurrence. And it’s done simply by telling…the truth.

It’s a huge “elephant in the office” for many organizations: The truth is unacceptable. And the reason why is because a system – a culture – has been established that when the truth is stated it means someone is wrong. And being wrong is not cool. So when the truth is told it ignites explosions and tirades that – in this case – are not at all entertaining, but are severely destructive.

Because people are trained to “not play with fire,” truth-telling is not an exercise that is often experienced by most teams. Like a stockpile of fireworks just waiting for a match, here is a list of the most common lies being told in offices today:

• “If we work harder, we’ll succeed.” (That’s a lie! It’s HOW we’re doing our work that must evolve.)
• “My leadership behavior is not what needs to change; it’s others who need to change.” (You’re kidding, right? All significant change begins by altering the approach taken by the only person you can control: you).
• “I can’t take time from my schedule to work on our culture.” (Huh? This statement reveals the missed paradigm – and why the culture is probably toxic: Your culture is always under construction; right now you are either creating or dismantling it.)
• “We don’t have an accountable workforce because we don’t have responsible employees.” (Give me a break. Accountability is not legislated. Lack of accountability in an organization is a greater testament to poor leadership and culture than it is a statement about mankind.)

The speed at which your organization moves forward is equal to your ability to tell the truth. If you’re not telling the truth, you’re conducting faux meetings and having artificial conversations. And incremental progress is all you’ll ever know.

This week ask your team, “Can we do a better job of telling the truth?” And let people tell their truth.

Telling the truth does not have to ignite fireworks. The key is HOW you tell the truth. In next week’s blog we’ll explore steps on how to do that.