See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil

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See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil

I’ve always applied a different meaning to the illustration. To me it implies if we ignore the negatives, they’ll go away.  Of course, experience has taught all of us, but especially Team Leaders, that is unadulterated B.S.!

Ignoring a problem or pretending it doesn’t exist doesn’t make it go away. Instead, trying to ignore the problem simply allows it to grow and, when it is finally to big to ignore it, takes more time, energy and resources to solve it then if it had been addressed when it first became an issue.

Because of this reality, and the fact there is always some type of trouble coming, every leader should always be looking for trouble rather than waiting for it to suddenly appear. If leaders aren’t looking for trouble, it surprises them. And surprises are seldom a good thing for leaders.

How to Look for Trouble

But because Team Members seldom have the opportunity or the degree of psychological safety necessary to give their leader bad news, how can a leader find out what’s really going on below the calm surface of the traditional “make no waves” response and stop small issues from becoming Big Trouble?

A simple common-sense approach to follow, is illustrated by the late New York Mayor Ed Koch, who one day each week, would have his driver take him to a section of the city, where he would get out and walk several blocks. During that walk, he would randomly stop New Yorkers and ask “How am I doing?” New Yorkers are not shy, so Koch would always get an earful about the city’s issues. That information helped him to understand what needed to be done to keep New York City running well—all from asking one simple question.

Following Mayor Koch’s simple approach, how would Team Members react if a leader sat down at their table, during their lunch break, without any other management present, and gave them permission, to tell him/her how they think leadership is doing?

The first time a leader does this they won’t get much response. They shouldn’t be fooled. Team Members have opinions and something to say, but first they need to know your question isn’t a trick, and your asking isn’t a one-time event. It may take two, or three attempts to create the psychological safety necessary, for Team Members to realize the leader is taking a genuine interest in them and their opinions. Then they’ll open up and tell the leader what they need to hear to avoid trouble: the truth about their leaders, how they feel about the company and what they need to make their work lives better.

Commit to This Process

Once a leader starts this process, they must stay committed to it by visiting the team on a regular basis. And they need to institute this same process for all shifts and at all locations. Why make the Team Members on the third shift feel any more neglected than they already do by not including them in this process? BTW: this is usually the shift, far away from managerial oversight, where the most trouble is brewing (i.e. union organizing, sexual harassment, theft).

Make Changes

Based on the feedback leaders receive from these interactions, they must follow-up and make the changes necessary to avoid the trouble revealed in these conversations. If they don’t, they should stop these interactions with Team Members since they won’t receive the gift of truth when they’ve shown they don’t know what to do with it.

The Echo Chamber

Unfortunately, the higher leaders go in management, the less access they have to the real issues, and dilemmas their Team Members, and the organization, are experiencing.  Why? Because those who report to leaders have a tendency to sanitize bad news or filter it so it doesn’t convey the same impact that getting it from a direct conversation with the frontline has.

So, don’t act like the three monkeys who refuse to see, hear or speak about problems or this approach will make a monkey out of you.

I could be wrong…but I’m not.