Are You the Reason Employees Stay Silent?

Vibe by Doc McIntyre

Your vibe is contagious, especially if you’re the boss.

• If a peer is negative or snarky or anxious, you can brush it off and walk away.

• If your boss is negative or snarky or anxious, you internalize it and start to question yourself.

I once heard a story about a worrier boss who wanted an update on a project. But instead of asking, “How’s the project going?”, he asked, “Are you sure about your project plan?”

And the normally confident subordinate said, “Well, I was sure until you asked me that question. Now I’m wondering if I need to reconsider.”

Worrying begets worrying.

Don’t throw your own stuff onto other people, especially if you’re the boss.

Why don’t my employees bring me their problems?

A business owner once asked me as we were leaving a meeting, "Why don’t my employees bring me their problems?" The meeting had highlighted common issues that were causing customer dissatisfaction, frustration, and low morale within the organization. Having known this business owner for quite some time, I had seen this pattern repeat itself many times.

I suggested we grab a coffee and talk about it. As we sat down, I said, "There is no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to be direct. You don’t listen to your people when they bring up issues, so now they’ve stopped coming to you with their problems."

Consider the following questions to reflect on your behavior:

• Do you explain away their concerns?

• Do you talk them out of their opinion?

• Do you push them to say yes at all costs?

• Do you turn every conversation into a mental “jousting” match?

• Do you tell them what to do without listening?

• Do you talk over them?

• Do you keep talking until they give up and leave?

If you recognize these behaviors in yourself, it might explain why your employees are hesitant to bring up problems. Reflect on how you approach and react when people come to you with issues. You might be the reason they don't feel comfortable sharing their concerns. It’s hard to see yourself doing these things, but if your people aren’t bringing you problems, you need to consider how you’re responding.

YOU might be the reason people don’t bring problems to you.