One of the risks of leadership is that your followers are most likely to tell you what you want to hear. The management committee in any organisation is where many strategic decisions involving multi-million-dollar projects are made. However, there are times when the personality of the individual leading the team may scare some other directors from expressing dissenting opinions. The situation described above happens when power creates silence.
In 1975, Steve Sasson, an engineer with Eastman Kodak Co., invented the world’s first digital camera. This was to change the future of photography and transform the industry forever. However, the reluctance of Kodak to adapt to the digital age due to its overwhelming success in the film-based business made the company ignore and suppress the innovation. Kodak was the titan of photography and was making huge profits. The leadership was scared that this innovation may cannibalise its existing film business. They tried to protect the film business by suing companies that produce digital cameras. The engineers, fearful of challenging the status quo, kept their groundbreaking ideas to themselves. Kodak’s strategy failed and eventually filed for bankruptcy in 2012, a victim of its own leadership’s inability to hear uncomfortable truths. Leaders must not be deceived by the consensus of the team. The Kodak engineers aligned with the leadership, but it was done out of fear.
There was psychological research conducted by Adam Galinsky at Northwestern University on the impact of power on social distance. It revealed that individuals in positions of authority become increasingly less aware of the perspectives of the low-power individuals. The more power you accumulate, the more difficult it becomes to see beyond your own viewpoint. Part of the findings include power affecting cognitive reasoning, meaning high-power individuals are more likely to engage in abstract thinking, which can lead to a greater sense of detachment from reality.
There is a major challenge for every leader, irrespective of race or colour. There is the tendency for your team members to want to always please you because you have positional power. You need to discourage this deliberately. Help them to warm up to you by thereby sharing their dissenting opinions.
Read also: Leadership blind spots: How being mean undermines your effectiveness
The Boeing 737 MAX crisis provides another example of the leadership of an organisation suppressing contrary opinions. After the crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, it was discovered that the organisational culture suppresses honest feedback. Internal emails revealed that an engineer sent an email in 2016 to colleagues expressing concerns and a warning that the MCAS system could lead to a ”catastrophic failure.” The email was reportedly ignored. Whistleblower complaints and internal surveys revealed a culture where engineers and safety professionals were systematically discouraged from raising concerns. The result of this was fatal crashes that cost hundreds of lives and billions in corporate value.
In stark contrast, Pixar offers a masterclass in creating a culture of honest communication. Their “Braintrust” meetings are legendary in the corporate world. Led by leaders like Ed Catmull and John Lasseter, these sessions are designed to strip away hierarchy. Every project, no matter how promising, is ruthlessly critiqued. Ed Catmull wrote in his book “Creativity, Inc.” that “Candour is our secret weapon,” “We want people to feel free to tell us what’s not working.” Any environment where low-level individuals are not allowed to raise concerns is heading for a crisis. These principles and culture of openness and respect have played a crucial role in Pixar’s success, helping to shape the best animated films of all time.
Every leader has the dynamics of power tilted in his favour. This means the team members will hold you in high esteem, and they will do things that suit the boss. It is not unusual, as they must understand their boss and do what the boss expects of them. However, the boss must let them know that they are free to critique his suggestions and opinions, and there won’t be any consequences for such actions. The boss must create psychological safety for his team. Google’s Project Aristotle discovered that the most successful teams aren’t those with the most brilliant individuals but those where members feel safe to take risks and be vulnerable. Another way to encourage people to disagree with you is to reward honest dissent. Microsoft, under Satya Nadella, transformed its culture by explicitly rewarding employees who challenge existing assumptions. The company went from a toxic environment to one that celebrates learning and honest dialogue.
The approach of team members pleasing the boss is the norm in most cases, but it carries inherent risk in it. The risk here is that whenever there is danger, the team members are most likely to keep to themselves because they do not want to offend the boss. Recall the case with Enron. The billion-dollar corporate disaster was built on a culture where questioning leadership was tantamount to career suicide. Employees knew something was wrong but remained silent. The echo chamber is a very dangerous place. Avoid the trap!
Oluwole Dada is the General Manager at SecureID Limited, Africa’s largest smart card manufacturing plant in Lagos, Nigeria.
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