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Facing the Boss
By Chuck Violand
November 01, 2010
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Theodore Roosevelt once described Americans who were loathe to question their government or to criticize their president as 鈥渦npatriotic, servile, and morally treasonable.鈥�
That鈥檚 a strong indictment for people who just want to sit back and enjoy the fruits of liberty.
I think Teddy was right, as usual. And I believe the same thing can be said for business.
In an article from the January 2004 issue of Harvard Business Review, author and psychoanalyst Manfred F.R. Kets de Vries states, 鈥淭o be effective, organizations need people with a healthy disrespect for the boss鈥攑eople鈥ho can engage in active give-and-take.鈥� Therein is the rub.
In my experience working with small businesses, I鈥檝e found that most entrepreneurs and small business owners don鈥檛 welcome 鈥渁ctive give-and-take鈥� with their employees.
And they certainly don鈥檛 entertain 鈥渄isrespect.鈥� In fact, most chains of command in small businesses have a closer resemblance to obedience charts than they do to organizational charts.
All too often when an employee, even a senior manager, approaches the boss with a suggestion or an opposing point of view, the boss digs in his heals, straightens up his back while he shuts down his mind, and says, 鈥淕o ahead. I鈥檓 listening.鈥�
But, are we really listening? Are we really open to new ideas or opposing viewpoints from the people who work for us?
Or is saying, 鈥淢y door is always open鈥� just boss-speak for 鈥淔uggedaboudit!鈥�
When this is the case, people learn to stop bringing suggestions to you. They figure they鈥檒l stay employed longer if they just keep their mouths shut and do what the boss says. This is tragic because it isolates the boss from the things he needs to see and hear about his business.
Here are some ideas on how to foster an environment where your people feel free to openly express their opinions with you.
Start by realizing that you probably have no clue how you come across to your people. You think you鈥檙e Mr. Open Minded with your people while they may think you never listen to them. You think you鈥檙e being soft and compassionate while your people may view you as hard-edged and disinterested in their ideas.
Next, ask someone other than an employee how you come across to your people. Most employees will tell you what you want to hear. Former employees will tell you what you should have been hearing. Trusted advisors (spouses, consultants, etc.) will tell you what you need to hear. Seek the opinion of someone who is not on your payroll.
And finally鈥uckle up. There鈥檚 a good chance that what you鈥檙e about to hear about yourself will send you on a wild emotional ride. That鈥檚 all right. You鈥檒l get over it. And you鈥檒l be a better business leader when you do.
Obviously, not every employee is built to walk into your office and tell you exactly what they think about you. Some are simply too passive. But, good business leaders learn to welcome (or at least tolerate) the opinions of employees who will.
Chuck Violand began his career by founding a carpet cleaning and disaster restoration operation in northeast Ohio in 1977, and in 1989, began consulting full-time. Each June, Violand hosts an Executive Summit to help owners and managers of cleaning and restoration companies learn the executive skills necessary to manage a growing business (Visit for details). Violand can be reached at (330) 966-0700.
