Attention leaders: What your team isn’t telling you!
Blind optimism, selective ignorance and borderline lazy.
Those words were used to describe the state where leaders believe what they see (i.e. that everything is going well) while their employees think otherwise in an article by Kat Boogard from Atlassian.
Statistics back up this disparity. When managers were asked to rate their agreement with statements about their team’s health, they consistently agreed at a higher rate than their individual contributors:
- 37% of the manager said their team had quick and easy access to information, but only 20% of their individual contributors agreed.
- 45% of managers said they receive honest feedback, but just 26% of individual contributors felt they could give that honest feedback.
This disparity in perception is worse at C-level. If ignored, it leads to disengagement and will increase the company’s attrition rate.
The article gives 6 ways to remedy this. They are:
Run a health monitor with your team - Ask your team directly whether the team is failing or succeeding. Or engage them in an activity that would be comfortable for them to open up.
Don’t be shy about asking for feedback - According to research, 54% of individual contributors do not share their feedback because their managers do not ask for it. If you want to know, it is best that you ask for it.
Promote psychological safety - Be open. Don’t be defensive. Try to recognise the effort that they exerted to be candid. This will encourage them to speak more.
Get out of your office - Do a floor walk. Go around your office and try to engage your team/employees. You will be surprised by what you will learn with casual conversations.
Make decisions with your team (rather than for them) - The author wrote it best,” Choices that directly impact the team shouldn’t be made in isolation. Gather the team, present the options, discuss the pros and cons, and allow everyone to weigh in with their options.”
Use the insights you gather - Follow thru. You know what employees think, they proposed solutions, don’t let it go to waste if you want your employees to stay engaged.
Addressing this disparity in perception leads to engagement leading to lower attrition consequently productivity. All in all, a little effort to reach out goes a long way!