Have you ever encountered such a scenario at work:
When the meeting began, the venue was dark. The leader put forward an idea, and everyone echoed it, and no one objected.
When the leader walked out of the conference room, the employees began to talk about it sentence by sentence, "This idea doesn't work" and "I don't understand what the leader think......s".
In fact, the fact that most employees do not disagree does not mean that they agree, and it is likely that the employees are unwilling to tell the truth.
In a team, if employees start to become silent, reluctant to express their opinions, and unwilling to express their true thoughts, it is actually a red flag.
I would like to share my personal experience first.
01. The silence of employees is the beginning of the team crisis.
More than 10 years ago, when I was first transferred to our department, the leader told me that the office was the department that could best train a person's comprehensive ability, so I started as a clerk in the grassroots office.
At that time, every time I received a document, I would carefully read the document, confirm the needs with the communications department, figure out the intention of the communication unit, and what functions of the department were involved, and then write down the opinions on handling the document and submit it to the leader for approval.
This may seem like a lot of work, but in fact, there is a rigorous process chain behind it, which can make an otherwise complex problem simpler.
The position of clerk in the grassroots office is the fastest time for me to grow. I am not only familiar with the functions of the organization and the division of labor between various departments, but also establish a friendly and cooperative relationship with my colleagues in my own department and the collaborative department.
Later, I was transferred to the core department of the organization, and the work of the clerk was handed over to other colleagues.
This colleague was very efficient in handling documents, but for some reason, other colleagues often complained to me about her.
In order to figure things out, one week I spent a week analyzing the documents that had recently been assigned to the department. To my surprise, 5 out of 10 documents were not related to the responsibilities of our department, but they were assigned to our department.
When I asked her the reason for the assignment to our department, she told me that she had not communicated with the source and had only relied on the title of the document and previous experience to determine the department to which she had been assigned.
Based on the subjective assumption of receiving the documents, I can conclude that she is not responsible for herself and others.
Accepting it silently does not mean that it is reasonable. On the contrary, organizations, things, relationships, etc., will be made worse by your silence, and the organization will be pushed into the abyss.
As a manager, if you choose to turn a blind eye to some seemingly insignificant things, then what you hear will be flattering good words, and what you see will also be the truth that is concealed, then your position will be in danger.
02. What makes employees silent.
So why are employees reluctant to communicate and tell the truth? There could be several reasons for this:
First, the manager is high.
Many times, employees don't want to tell the truth, but they dare not tell the truth.
Some managers like to put on a high-minded posture after becoming a manager from the grassroots level. On the surface, the style is open and democratic, encouraging employees to report more and ask for more instructions, but when employees really have important things to report and ask for instructions, they pretend to be fluttering.
In public or at the conference table, they always talk endlessly, talking to themselves, and never give employees a chance to speak out, let alone let them have a different voice.
He likes to be kind, he doesn't like to listen to the truth, and over time, some employees will pat on the back as soon as they seize the opportunity, and become a saint angelo, only reporting good news and not bad news. Other honest and honest people, seeing this situation, gradually used silence to protect themselves.
Second, the manager is left to his devices.
As the saying goes: a soldier bears a bear, and a nest of bears will be born.
Some managers see employees making mistakes and always feel that it doesn't matter if they make small mistakes, so they turn a blind eye and get by, too lazy to correct their employees' problems.
Over time, employees don't realize that they have made mistakes, and they are immersed in their own world, thinking that they have done a flawless job.
When faced with authoritative inquiries, he is always flustered, incoherent, and confused. When something really goes wrong, it not only harms itself, but also ruins the enterprise.
Third, there is a lack of a culture of democracy and honesty.
The biggest difficulty in the implementation of the system is that the managers are inconsistent and unfair.
The system formulated by the organization is not implemented by itself, so it does not dare to ask employees to implement it, and even connives, and even connives, so the system is useless.
In some organizations, there is a concept of "special handling of special circumstances", and managers often ignore the rigidity of the system when they encounter difficulties or special circumstances, resulting in connivance with certain people and things.
And those employees who usually follow the rules, occasionally make the slightest mistake, they are severely punished, and over time, these employees will question the organizational culture.
If a company does not form a democratic, open, and honest culture, those who make mistakes often do not receive the punishment they deserve, but those who make occasional mistakes are severely punished, and the future employees will not tell the truth in order to protect themselves.
03. The bell must be tied to the bell.
Silence is a "disease" that can easily become terminally ill if the organization is not treated in time.
So, what do you need to do?
1. Managers should lead by example, listen to the truth, and know how to listen.
Listen to the truth: If you hear voices like "Leader Weiming" and "Leader is right" after expressing your opinion, you should be vigilant.
You have to find a few cronies and listen to their real views on something, and you have to check whether your way of dealing with people is appropriate, whether it is really organizational development, and whether it is consistent with the organizational culture.
Know how to listen. As a manager, you can't always be on top. You should maintain an open and inclusive mind, often go to the front line, and sincerely listen to the real voice of the front line employees.
Don't have preconceived ideas, don't preset positions and results, have a green light thinking, and listen to the voices of employees at different levels.
You must always set an example, be good at expressing your own views in the face of subtleties and major rights and wrongs, and encourage your subordinates to boldly express their opinions when everyone is silent and does not put forward opinions.
2. Create a democratic and honest cultural atmosphere.
The organization should have a fair, just, democratic and open institutional culture, with clear rewards and punishments, so that everyone dares to speak up and do, and become a practitioner and beneficiary of the system.
Protect employees who dare to speak the truth. In the process of management, it is necessary to be honest with each other and not to people, so that employees can have a sense of security and belonging to the organization.
When you see what employees are doing wrong, you should correct them in time, do not cover them up, do not hide them, be outspoken, seek truth from facts, hold the mentality of helping employees grow, and sincerely point out the problems of the other party.
Only when the organization is united and the force is out of the hole, can a joint force be formed and jointly move towards the direction that is conducive to the development of the organization.
Written at the end: The silence of employees is the beginning of a crisis for the team. If the majority of employees within the organization are silent, then the organization will be dead. To activate the vitality of the organization, start by changing the management style of managers!