The (dangerous) power of your words
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
In today’s business world, many claim their teams have psychological safety: they have great team spirit, great culture, and positive eNPS scores.
While these claims may be somewhat true, many of the voices in the organization are still going unheard.
Beneath the surface, human nature and the weight of executive authority often keep people quieter than leaders realize.
The Hidden Weight of a CEO’s Words
One of the subtle challenges executives face is that their words carry immense gravity. Even a casual comment can ripple through a company like a commandment from on high.
This isn’t because they are intentionally imposing; it’s simply that people instinctively give their leaders’ words outsized importance.
It’s critical to realize that, when it comes to creating a culture where people feel free to challenge the CEO, free to take a risk and share an idea, free to innovate, requires an outsized amount of courage in most organizations.
As an executive, you don’t start at zero you start behind, the default of your team is to accept your ideas as missives, to shy away from taking a risk, to hold back, to hide.
To change this dynamic takes intentional work and self-awareness.
Nurturing a Courageous Culture
Psychological safety is an outcome. It is achieved by demonstrating openness, vulnerability, inclusion and empathy. It is achieved by nurturing courage in your people.
As a leader, you have to work to help people find their voices: celebrate innovation even when it fails, applaud participation in discussion, show your own vulnerability, lack of certainty, and invite critique.
When you do share ideas, generally speak last, be explicit about when you’re just brainstorming versus when you’re making actual decisions. Label your comments, “This is just an idea, challenge it” to help the team understand the difference.
Embracing “I Don’t Know” as a Strength
Another key piece is that executives need to understand that they don’t have to have all the answers. In fact, admitting you don’t know and inviting others to help find the best solution will create more trust and engagement.
It’s about shifting from being the “all-knowing” to being the facilitator of collective wisdom. When a CEO models that it’s okay not to know everything, it gives everyone else permission to be more open, innovative and collaborative.
From Passive Safety to Active Encouragement
Having a collaborative culture is just the beginning, creating a truly inclusive culture that reaps the benefits of gathering the multitude of voices in your organization takes real work and cannot be left to chance.
Executives need to go beyond being passively open to feedback and actively promote a culture of courage. This means regularly inviting dissenting opinions, celebrating when someone offers a different viewpoint, and making it clear that the best ideas often come from that collective dialogue.
No one person has all the answers. Encourage your organization to bring their collective wisdom to the fore, and you may be surprised as the insights delivered.
