6 minutes
The conversations that take place between your team members are incredibly important. In fact, they’re everything, says Daniel F. Prosser.
“Words are far more powerful than most people realize,” says Prosser, author of THIRTEENERS: Why Only 13 Percent of Companies Successfully Execute Their Strategy—and How Yours Can Be One of Them (Greenleaf Book Group Press, March 2015, ISBN: 978-1-6263415-9-3, $22.95). “Unbelievable outcomes happen when you say how it’s going to be and then take the actions to have it be that way. Change your language and you change your perspective, which changes what's possible in your future.”
But suppose you, the leader, are declaring bold possibilities full of fire and optimism, but your employees are engaging in other kinds of conversations? Bitter complaints, criticisms and worse.
“Unfortunately I've learned that the conversations in nearly 90 percent of companies are limiting, and they undermine and sabotage your company’s performance,” says Prosser. “Most of these conversations aren’t visible to leaders. Yet they go viral throughout an organization, kill morale, prevent engagement, and slow productivity to a crawl.”
Here, he spotlights 10 performance-killing conversations your employees may be having within your company without your knowledge. This is why employees don’t—or, more likely, can’t—execute the your company strategy.
“It’s not our strategy.” If this persistent conversation is being repeated throughout your organization, your employees feel they have no say in the direction of your company and, therefore, they disconnect themselves from its future.
“Invite your employees to the strategy table,” Prosser instructs. “Ask them for their insights and opinions regarding the path your company is on and how they see themselves fulfilling their roles. Allow people to contribute, ask questions, and even disagree with you.”
“They don’t appreciate us.” “No matter what level of skills a leader has achieved, I’ve rarely found an executive who is totally comfortable authentically (meaning from the heart) acknowledging or expressing appreciation for an employee in front of others,” notes Prosser. “It can cost you big-time not to have that conversation. It costs you nothing to appreciate and acknowledge the contribution of others.”
“They’re always making excuses.” “No one holds management accountable," Prosser points out. “Honestly—how comfortable would you be calling your own boss on the carpet? It's time to become publicly accountable for your own results—the good and the bad. You’ll find that your people are much more willing to follow a fallible leader with integrity than a ‘perfect’ leader who constantly passes the buck.”
“Did you hear what (Team Member A) said about (Team Member B)?” Gossip and stories that degrade others in the organization create a toxic workplace environment.
“How do you know if a conversation is gossip?” Prosser asks. “If what is being said about another person can’t be said to that person’s face, it’s absolutely gossip. Wherever there are secrets or anything that cannot be discussed at any level of an organization, you will find a dysfunctional organization that’s unable to focus on what matters. There is no alignment with what is important, because people feel bullied.”
“What mission statement ... and why should I care?” “How can people implement actions or execute a strategy when they can’t understand the relevance of your vision or mission as it relates to their jobs?” asks Prosser. “Most teams don’t openly discuss the mission of the company and its relevance to their marketplace focus. As a result, the significance of their role as an employee contributor isn’t well understood. For employees to be effective, they must understand where they fit and how their job impacts overall contribution to the desired outcome.”
“They treat us like crap.” If there’s mistreatment, rudeness and nastiness toward employees, leaders will surely take action to stop it, because they know that no company can execute its strategy with that going on, right? Apparently not. In a study that spanned 14 years, Christine Porath and Christine Pearson found that 98 percent of employees surveyed reported experiencing rude or uncivil behavior either toward them or toward another in their presence.
“Employees who feel that they’re being treated badly will put forth the bare minimum of effort,” says Prosser. “Their negative attitude will be all too evident to customers. And they’ll probably jump ship at the earliest opportunity. The solution is clear: Treat your employees at every level with civility and respect. Make sure all supervisors do the same. No excuses.”
“It’s the same old story.” Grandiose pronouncements for new initiatives that are intended to provoke a new battle cry are falling on deaf ears. That’s because employees have heard it all before. Bringing your employees together to build new initiatives for a goal or challenge is usually received with rolling eyes and sighs of annoyance and anguish.
“[Employees] can tell when leaders are inauthentic in their pronouncements,” says Prosser. “They will usually give you one chance to get it right. No one wants to feel manipulated into thinking that what you’re putting forth is brand new. It rarely is. There are too many options available (even in a sluggish economy) for good people to stick with leaders who aren’t serious about being authentic.”
“Because he’s (or she’s) the boss. That’s why.” “Employees buy into a patriarchal and paternalistic business culture because it lets them off the hook,” explains Prosser. “They can avoid having to make promises and take action, and they feel that they have ‘permission’ to wait until someone tells them what to do. That creates a dependency on receiving orders from leadership, and those employees can’t execute your strategy because they won't take responsibility for causing things to happen.”
“We’ve always done it this way.” Old paradigms, nonexistent “visions,” and limiting business models that are fixed on past performance keep your employees from moving your business forward.
“Employees who haven’t been shown that they can grow, develop, and expand their opportunities within the organization—so that they have a sense of control over their own possible future—will lose interest in what you want,” says Prosser.
“The boss is watching, so just don’t screw up.” Leaders who focus on “not losing” rather than on working to build something they can share with their employees end up sabotaging their own organizations. Because a boss operating out of fear takes it out on his or her employees. Those employees just put in their time, but not their best efforts, as they focus on placating the boss.
“If any of the conversations in this list sound familiar, take them seriously,” concludes Prosser. “They are likely the reason your employees are disconnected from you, from your vision, from your mission, from the strategy for your company, and from the needs of your customers.”
