In a departmental meeting of a company, which was attended by all the employees, the topic of discussion was how to speed up production and how to increase productivity. However, there is a monologue from the Head of the Department while all others listened to him with all ears. There was no two-way communication among the members present and no expression of free and frank opinion. Nobody was speaking up on the real reasons for low productivity and bad quality.
And just after the meeting ended when the boss decided to end his monologue, while leaving the meeting room, a few participants, gathered at the water cooler and started to voice their opinion on the real reasons plaguing the company for its low productivity and bad quality. So while everyone kept quiet in the meeting, all were freely expressing their views besides the water cooler.
Why do employees not have the courage to speak up at the right moment? Is it because they fear courage or they fear speaking up would annoy the boss and they would lose his goodwill and favors. How do you muster the courage to call a spade a spade and still be free from the anxiety of hurting anybody’s sentiments? There are basically four things to keep in mind while we decide to speak up straight which is easier said than done. Confidence is the first key when you speak up. You must muster all the courage and confidence when you decide to speak up. The second element is the intent. The intent is about having a purpose and a reason to speak up. The intent is about knowing and understanding that by me speaking up, I either want to work through a problem or address a situation. When you go in with positive intent, it’s much more likely that your message will be received with an open mind. The third is delivery ie when you frame your message with the right content, it’s much more likely that your message will be received with an open mind. Hence while delivering your message, you should be factual and real. And lastly when you enter into this type of conversation always offer a solution to the issue at hand. That’s why it’s so important that we come into a conversation with a mindset of wanting to seek a solution.
Some of us may feel that this is all theory and will not work in my organization. But it is obvious that when someone comes up with the courage to speak up and gives his honest opinion on matters affecting the organization, that is when the real discussion starts to happen. And isn’t the kind of organization you want to work in?
