Surface Ripples

When People Go Quiet

 “The biggest concern for any organisation should be when their most passionate people become quiet,’ said Tim McClure.  Most people join organisations to make a difference and to help others in some way, whether it’s advising them on financial services, serving them in retail outlets, manufacturing goods or running hotels.

This quote was recently posted in LinkedIn by a Chief Superintendent of the Metropolitan Police.  We generally do what we do because we believe in it, because it excites us, because we feel is that this is how we can help others.  Some may also do it because they think it will help them “get rich quick”.  

We find as we progress through life that there will always be the “critics” of what we, or others, do.  At times, we may be one of them.  Questioning and reviewing of actions and behaviours are a way of examining the effectiveness of a decision and how we can learn from it.  Not all decisions turn out to be the “right” one with the benefit of 20-20 hindsight.  The question is, what do we learn?

Part of that learning and review process is listening to others.  This can be painful, if not downright unpleasant, depending on the society and culture in which one operates.  

When everyone around us goes quiet, however, and just “goes with the flow”, we have a problem.  If dissenting voices aren’t heard, it can be a recipe for disaster.  No one likes hearing their carefully thought-out (and, in their eyes, brilliant) plan dissected and rebuilt in a different way, but if it obtains buy-in from “the team” its chances of success through their commitment to “their” plan are higher.  

I’ve seen a number of instances of “top-down” management with less than spectacular results.  One of them involved the preparation of the annual plan in which the organisation attempted “bottom-up” planning for the first time.  One department put in what it considered a realistic, achievable and yet stretching plan, only to be told they needed an extra 20%.  No questions like, “Why do you feel that way?” or “What haven’t we (senior managers) taken into account?”  Just “Increase it by 20%”.  Naturally, commitment plummeted, cynicism prevailed, and no one said a word…

In the past, I’ve written about how customers often “vote with their feet” if they’re not happy with the service they get.  In the case of our team, the vote comes in the form of silence or acquiescence before they head for the exit.  

If we notice that our teams are going silent, perhaps it’s time to sit up and take notice before they, our customers or our profitability march out of the door…

I’ve spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With a wealth of international experience in international financial services around the world running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management.  I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email. My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of services.  For strategic questions that you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.

Labels: Career, Leadership, Strategy, Teamwork

posted by William Martin @ 12:08