A Culture of Candor
Does your company culture promote candid dialogue? As leadership development specialists, one of the most frequent requests we get is helping people communicate with one another when the stakes are high. And the stakes seem to be at an all-time high, with pressures to perform creating enormous stress.
Some organizations, groups and even families value candid sharing of information, while others discourage genuine conversations. Lack of candor can show up in various degrees as withholding, sugar-coating or even two-faced communication. It takes courage to speak the truth in some circumstances and organizations; even more courage is required to hear someone else’s views when you are implicated or disagree.
In many companies, candor has been replaced with political correctness and the real issues never surface. While there are many reasons these politically correct cultures have evolved, one reason is that people lack skillful ways of conveying difficult or sensitive information. Courageous, respectful and candid communication is not synonymous with blurting out the first thing that crosses one’s mind. Some people use “transparency” as an excuse for being hurtful. In the extreme case, they may lack impulse control in filtering what is in their head through considerations of the place, listener and their own biases. Ill effects result and once burned, people are reticent to share.
Healthy filtering considers the situational attributes in selecting the message, timing and medium. Influential leaders are thoughtful about what they want the other person to know, believe or feel as a result of the interaction. They are transparent while being observant of the behaviors appropriate for certain situations. They master the skills of candid dialogue.
Leaders must move beyond being politically correct to talk about the real issues. It is truly a competitive advantage.
Morningstar Ventures' popular "Candid Conversations" learning program will be held April 18,19-2012. Chamber members receive a 20 percent discount on registration. Click here for more information.
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This article, written by Andrea Chilcote, is part of the Chamber's monthly Businessdriver email newsletter. To sign up for any or all of the Chamber's email communications, click here.
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