A recent article told of a CEO and his endeavor to identify and deal with certain employees who were critical of the organization and of his leadership approach. A major part of his frustration was the fact that none of these team members came to him directly with their questions and concerns. According to one staffer, no one wanted to confront the CEO for fear of retribution or worse.
In preparation for a recent strategy session for a highly successful business, I sent a brief questionnaire to members of the senior leadership team (standard practice). These open-ended questions help frame major issues to be addressed during the meeting. While I expected to hear concerns commonly found in a rapidly growing company, I found it interesting that some asked me to keep their comments confidential. In particular, they did not want their comments shared with the CEO.
The paradox is this: How can the CEO (or anyone for that matter) address issues unless they are made aware of them? Conversely, how can team members be expected to express questions and concerns openly, honestly and respectfully if their feedback is met with objections, defensiveness or worse? What to do?
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