Putting Too Much Pressure on Your Employees Encourages White Lies. This is a Toxic Environment.
You might have seen in movies where business owners or CEO’s tend to be very strict in dealing with their employees. They scream when outraged. They usually blame employees who don’t perform well. They are only satisfied when they hear something good.
This is true not just in movies, but in real life. There are top level executives who act this way. If you are one of them, you better change the way you treat your employees.
To begin with, you need to establish a good relationship with them. There is nothing wrong in imposing yourself as a leader, and a strong one at that. You can earn their respect if you have a strong and powerful image.
However, if this turns to fear, it is no longer beneficial. Since you are only satisfied when you are given good news, these employees are motivated to lie just to please you.
For instance, if you are selling products and the total sales for the month has dropped; you won’t be given the entire picture. They will try to put a spin on the story so you won’t be enraged. They might also throw some positive data so that you will overlook the bad part.
It could affect the business
The reason why you must be told the truth even if it is negative is because you need to do something about it. You are the leader and you are expected to help come up with a solution to the problem. You won’t be able to reach this stage if you are not given the concrete image of what really is going on.
You are made to believe that everything is going well when in reality it is the opposite. Before you know it, your business has already been negatively affected and it is too late for you to do something to change it.
What you need to do
Start by encouraging direct feedback. If you are the type who can’t control your emotion, just explain this to your employees. Tell them that you are upset because of the situation and not because of them personally. This means that they must not feel bad when you overreact. Encourage them to tell you the truth and just don’t mind your reactions.
Another strategy is to consult with different groups of people in the business. Don’t talk to the same people as you will receive the same responses. Make sure that you get a bigger picture by putting together what everyone tells you. By then, even if someone is covering up the truth, it would be easier for you to uncover it.
Most of all, you have to lead by example. There is nothing wrong in showing your emotions when bad news is delivered. However, you also have to show them that you are taking the positive steps forward when something wrong has happened. This will motivate them to do the same. If the leader does something big to save the situation, they will be too embarrassed to not do anything to pull their share.
Having an open mind in dealing with problems is better than just being outraged and not get positive results.
Photo Attribution:
Featured and 1st image from http://wdy.h-cdn.co/assets/cm/15/09/54ebb0fce6052_-_2-man-desk-pointing-computer-xl.jpg
2nd image from http://liveboldandbloom.com/02/self-awareness-2/emotional-intelligence-workplace
