Don’t Penalize Employees Who Raise Problems
Divergent, dissident voices are critical to growth and innovation. Yet some leaders demonize anyone who raises problems, afraid of what those naysayers might be pointing out. When you do this, however, you prevent the organization from growing and discourage others from speaking up when they see problems or opportunities. So instead of blaming someone for raising an uncomfortable topic, celebrate them for having the courage to bring it up. Focus on the underlying problem, not the messenger who called it out. Don’t say “I hear you have a problem.” Say, “I appreciate your helping us to get better.” If you suspect people aren’t bringing you problems, consider why not. Maybe they think that you’ll dismiss their concerns or that you won’t take action. To set the right tone, celebrate hard-fought, newly learned things, rather than the most popular or most productive things that happened at your firm. When you do this, your employees will understand that you value innovation and creativity more than you value looking good, and that you genuinely want the company to get better.
“Don’t Demonize Employees Who Raise Problems,” by Nilofer Merchant