101: Encouraging candor
Candor – or openness and truthfulness – is necessary to create transparency, get good ideas, give feedback and promote healthy debate. “You reinforce the behaviors that you reward. If you reward candor, you'll get it,” said Jack Welch, former CEO of GE. With candor, autonomy builds. Employees who have a role in contributing to decisions and discussions are more likely to fully buy in when it comes time to execute.
This is no time for ego.
Making room for candor in the office is something secure leaders do to promote collaboration, writes Tal Shnall at LeadershipHospitality.com. “Transparency expands the trust, and candor fosters openness,” he writes, ingredients for success. Hoarding information is not helpful.
Practice having difficult conversations.
Speaking honestly about sensitive subjects could cause unintentional damage. Many managers find it challenging to give performance appraisals to team members whose work isn't where it should be. “Northrop Grumman … retired chief ethics officer Frank Daly, established a program wherein managers can practice having unpleasant conversations. It helps them learn how to deliver negative messages constructively,” writes James O'Toole and Warren Bennis at HBR.org.
Candor sparks a productive cycle.
Russ Laraway at RadicalCandor.com says managers should listen, clarify, debate, decide, persuade, execute and learn. Listen to team members, he says. “They likely have some of the best ideas.” Guide employees in clarifying goals, debate together to uncover the best answer, ensure a decision gets made and carry out the plan. “Your team's execution changes the context and uncovers new variables. The new context needs to be observed and understood and then used to feed the process again."
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