Speaking Up Takes Confidence, Candor, and Courage- Ron Ashkenas

Have you ever wondered whether your work efforts were really creating value? From what I have seen in organizations, many people have that experience. The problem is that many times they do not do anything about it.

Not long ago I spoke at a company meeting about the challenges of complexity in organizations. At one point, I asked the audience members to identify and discuss simplification opportunities in their areas. During the report-outs, one woman described how she and her co-workers spent hours each week on the cosmetics of a particular report to make sure that it looked good when it went to senior management. She went on to say that this focus on style rather than substance was a waste of time. When I asked why she continued to do this, she quickly said that her boss expected it. Her boss was also in the room, and when asked about the report said, "I don't care what it looks like, as long as it has the right information."

This kind of disconnect is not unusual. One of the main reasons that employees knowingly continue valueless activities is the lack of candid dialogue between people at different organizational levels. For example, many times I have heard people say that their manager is "unapproachable" or "too busy" to talk about changing the way things are done. Moreover, while that observation is certainly true in many cases, it is often code for: "I'm afraid of my manager's reaction." On the other hand, many senior leaders wonder why their people do not raise issues more proactively. As one senior person said to me, out of frustration, "I don't know how many more times I can tell them that they are empowered!"

So what does it take to break this logjam so that dialogue flows more freely and spontaneously? Let me suggest two steps:

Take responsibility for the truncated dialogue. In addition, that means everyone — managers and subordinates alike. While it is easy to blame others, the reality is that it takes two parties to short-circuit a relationship. For the most part, this happens unintentionally. We usually make assumptions about what we can talk to our manager about or not, or what the boss expects — and then we act on these assumptions without testing them. We also may fear that the manager will think poorly about us if we bring up something that she does not agree with, so it is easier to say nothing. Managers, however, do the same thing — they assume that their people feel comfortable enough to initiate conversations, or send subtle signals to subordinates that they really do not want to approach with new ideas.

Do something about it. Jack Welch used to say that self-confident people are one of the key characteristics of a high-performing organization — because they will not be afraid to speak up. However, nobody becomes self-confident just because Jack Welch (or some blogger) says that it is the right thing to do. Instead, you have to gain that confidence by pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone a little at a time. For example, if you realize that you are wasting resources on an activity that does not add value, but are hesitant to approach your boss, start by talking with other colleagues about it. See if others feel the same way. If they agree, develop a joint proposal for not only stop the unproductive work, but also for reallocating time to higher payoff areas. Then go to the boss as a team, not only to talk about this idea but also to test his openness to these kinds of initiatives in general.

If you are a manager, you can foster self-confidence by creating "safe space" forums where anyone can raise issues without consequences. You can also encourage your people to get together, identify non-value added work, and present it as a team. Alternatively, you can initiate a more formal process, like Workout or process mapping to surface the ideas.

Whether you are a subordinate or a manager, the key is to take some sort of action to increase the candor and flow of dialogue in your organization. If you do nothing you are just reinforcing unproductive patterns. However, if you do something, you can trigger a cycle of increasing self-confidence and higher performance — and create a much more pleasant place to work.

What is your experience with opening up a dialogue about unproductive work?

The Art of Asking Questions - Ron Ashkenas

How well do you ask questions? Most managers do not think about this issue. After all, you do not usually find "the ability to ask questions" on any list of managerial competencies; nor is it an explicit part of the curriculum of business schools or executive education programs. However, asking questions effectively is a major underlying part of a manager's job —, which suggests that it might be worth giving this skill a little more focus.

We have all experienced times when we've failed at being good questioners, perhaps without realizing it. For example, not long ago I sat in on a meeting where a project team was reviewing its progress with a senior executive sponsor. During the presentation, it was clear from his body language that the executive was uncomfortable with the direction that the team was taking. As a result, without any real questioning of the team, he deferred approval of the next steps until he could have a further discussion with the team leader. When he met with the team leader later, he ripped into him for allowing the team to go off-course. Eventually the team leader was able to explain the thinking behind the plan, convinced the executive that they would indeed achieve their objectives, and was given the go-ahead to proceed. In the meantime the team had lost its momentum (and a week of productivity), and began to focus more on pleasing the sponsor rather than doing the project in the best way.

This is not an isolated incident. Many managers do not know how to probe the thought process of their subordinates, colleagues, and bosses — and instead make assumptions about the basis of their actions. Moreover, when those assumptions are wrong, all sorts of dysfunctional patterns can be created. In a financial services firm, for example, a major product upgrade was delayed by months because the product and IT managers had different assumptions about what was to be delivered by when, and kept blaming each other for delays. When a third party finally helped them to ask the right questions, they were able to come up with a plan that satisfied both, and quickly produced incremental revenue for the product.

There are three areas where improved "questioning" can strengthen managerial effectiveness; and it might be worth considering how you can improve your skills in each one.

First is the ability to ask questions about yourself. All of us fall into unproductive habits, sometimes unconsciously. Good managers therefore are always asking themselves and others about what they could do better or differently. Finding the right time and approach for asking these questions in a way that invites constructive and candid responses is critical.

Second is the ability to ask questions about plans and projects. The examples mentioned above both fall into this category. The challenge with questioning projects is to do so in a way that not only advances the work, but that also builds relationships and helps the people involved to learn and develop. This does not mean that your questions can't be tough and direct, but the probing needs to be in the spirit of accelerating progress, illuminating unconscious assumptions and solving problems. This is in contrast to some managers who (perhaps out of their own insecurity) ask review questions either to prove that they are the smartest one in the room, or to make someone squirm. On the other hand, many of the best managers I've seen have an uncanny ability to engage in Socratic dialogue that helps people reach their own conclusions about what can be done to improve a plan or project, which of course leads to much more ownership and learning.

Finally, practice asking questions about the organization. Although usually unspoken, managers have an obligation to always look for ways that the organization as a whole can function more effectively. To do this, they need to ask questions about practices, processes, and structures: Why do we do things this way? Is there a better approach? Asking these questions in a way that does not trigger defensiveness and that is seen as constructive is an important skill for managers.

Most of us never think about how to frame our questions. Giving this process some explicit thought however might not only make you a better manager; it might also help others improve their inquiry skills as well.

Last but not the least-- Have you seen good and bad examples of how to ask questions? What is your own self-assessment? Are you asking yourself the right questions?