Candid Feedback

By Chris Blauth Eleven years ago my wife and I began reading ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ to our daughter at bedtime.  This classic tale is concise and easy to read, yet has profound meaning.  You’re no doubt familiar with the essence of Hans Christian Andersen’s tale: Out of town tricksters grab the attention of a vain emperor with a penchant for fine garments and promise to make him a regal suit made from unmatched cloth.  This cloth, however, is invisible to those who are unfit for the emperor’s office or otherwise stupid.  Neither the emperor nor his equally vain ministers is able to ‘see’ the cloth, but rather than admit this fact and suffer ridicule from others everyone claims to see the fabric and extol its grandeur.  In short, the ministers, and later the town folk, attest to what the emperor wants to hear, not what he needs to hear.  That is, until the day he saunters through the streets of his capital and a child bravely exclaims, ‘Look, the Emperor has nothing on at all!”  By this time, of course, the swindlers have fled with the emperor’s money, never to be seen again.  Communicating unwanted or unpopular news is never easy—whether it’s 1837, the year Andersen’s tale was first published, or today.  It’s even more challenging when leaders engender—either through explicit or implicit actions—environments in which communication is stifled or barren.  Perhaps you’re keenly aware of the results after asking copious clarifying questions when change is announced, or after providing constructive feedback once change is underway.  Immediately or over time the messenger is ‘wounded’ or even worse ‘shot’.  When this occurs everyone in the organization recognizes that anyone who dares to question the case for change or comment on how to make the change more successful will ultimately suffer mild or severe consequences.  As a result, associates share only ‘safe’ or ‘politically correct’ information with their manager.  Clearly, this is not the kind of atmosphere that empowers people to support and drive change. Recently, my colleagues and I at AchieveGlobal pinpointed that organizations—and the individuals within them—succeed at change when they demonstrate ten practices—critical how to’s that differentiate between success and mediocrity.  One of these practices, Encourage candid feedback, produces endless benefits in the form of improved information accuracy, increased quality of idea generation, and accelerated decision making.  In this type of environment, you’ll find managers who:    • Welcome all questions and constructive suggestions. • Encourage people to ask clarifying and challenging questions that put pressure on change strategies and plans. • Show sincere interest in learning what people know, think, and feel about changes being implemented. • Acknowledge and praise people for their candor. This kind of climate yields a shared understanding in people of what’s changing and why it’s important.  Even better, it helps management discern what people know and how to interpret what they’ve heard, which in turn helps them target their messages and refine their plans.  To date, my wife and I have read ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ countless times to all three of our children.  In fact, it’s still a favorite of my youngest who’s six.  As I’ve read it recently, though, I often muse, “How many organizations have cultures in which managers and non-managers alike tell their superiors what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear?”  What do you think?  I invite you to respond either here or at chris.blauth@achieveglobal.com.