Good teams strive to be candid in their discussions and interactions. Quality decisions depend on honest views and frank assessments.
Without the ability for team members to be forthright with their opinions, problems fester and opportunities are squandered. Yet very few teams ever attain the promise of absolute candor.
The many reasons people edit themselves and choose not to be candid with others are legion.
First and foremost, people instinctively know that candidness can ruffle feathers and create conflict or ill-will. Their desire to be liked and accepted is simply too strong for many people to overcome.
Add to that force numerous other ideas that inhibit candor. People often think that their views are not helpful or actionable, that their status in the room or on the topic does not deserve their candidness, they doubt their own personal knowledge or expertise, or they lack conviction or the faith to express themselves articulately.
In addition, some team members have a strong desire to be a part of a positive and optimistic team climate. They believe that being candid raises problems that can diminish the positivity they want to experience.
Overcoming the obstacles of candor takes time and an unusual trust between team members that can’t be manufactured easily.
But as teams lay the foundation and norms for more candor in everyday settings and discussions, leaders can set a higher expectation for more open and honest sharing at given moments and on specific topics.
Consider this: It is more important for teams to achieve high levels of candidness topically than it is for them to be somewhat more candid on most issues.
When it comes to a critical decision or consequential choice, leaders can ask team members to suspend their inhibitions and become entirely candid for a given discussion.
Here’s the good news: Team members will normally comply and express themselves openly.
Better yet, as they practice this unbridled candor on a given topic, they learn that many of their fears are unfounded and soon become more candid on other matters.
When the stakes are high, and candidness is essential, good leaders ask team members to raise their games for a short period of time and on a given topic.
As long as a leader doesn’t go to this well too often, the team will learn to become more candid topically. All leaders need to do is ask.
