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New teams and projects often fall victim to the cruel irony that people are less likely to speak up about potential problems early on, but of course, the later a leader learns of potential problems, the less likely they are to be able to avoid them, right?
Unfortunately many leaders make the mistake of bragging about open door policies, insisting that team members ask hard questions, raise concerns, yada yada yada—-just assuming that saying so will evoke real candor. The truth is that during the early stages that kind of bravado tends to go in one ear and out the other because the truth is that psychological safety—the feeling that a team member can raise concerns or pose difficult questions without repercussion—is something that is cultivated over time as a team matures and develops authentic cohesion and trust.
Indeed, the success of many projects, initiatives and teams depends in large part on the ability to expose potential risks or pitfalls as early as possible to provide a leader or team an opportunity to mitigate those risks, make different choices or even change course completely. While there is no magic trick for infusing that type of radical candor into a new team to surface these issues sooner rather than later, there is one particular technique that can prove quite effective.
Leaders should end a project kickoff or team orientation meeting with one powerful but simple question….What is your biggest concern about our ability to be successful?
Here's how you might facilitate it. Wait until the end of a project kickoff or team orientation meeting, then before everyone disbands, acknowledge the fact that there are risks out there that you’re likely not aware of that team members may not feel comfortable voicing but nevertheless are important to put on the team’s radar. If the team is physically together, provide each team member an index card and black marker, and ask them to write their response to the question on their index card and drop it into a basket outside the door as they leave. (For virtual events consider using a polling tool or sending an anonymous online survey immediately after the meeting.) Once you’ve received the responses, at a future session thank attendees for the feedback and address the issues one by one (as appropriate). (Certainly, don’t publicly address issues of a sensitive nature like personnel issues or negative comments about a particular individual.)
This technique provides some important benefits. It accelerates the information sharing process so that a leader can learn about a potential problem much earlier than they normally would have. This obviously positions them to able to avoid or address said problems head on. The process of extracting, then discussing this information about potential barriers to success can also serve as a bonding experience for the entire team. Instead of having various team members privately worrying about different risks, this forces everything onto the table so the risks can be dealt with together. Indeed, there’s a real psychological benefit when a leader or team member shifts from privately worrying about an issue or concern to realizing that it’s now out in the open and being dealt with. Finally, this technique sends a not-so-subtle signal to the group that candid feedback is valued, so acts like these can serve as tangible building blocks towards cultivating a culture of candor within the team.
Too many leaders make the mistake of assuming they’ll be alerted as soon as possible when things are headed south. That type of naïve thinking can easily translate not just into big problems down the road but also lowered team morale along the way. Don’t assume everything is fine until you hear otherwise. Instead, take the opposite approach. Assume there are problems, risks, barriers, then create an environment that gives your team permission to discuss them. You’ll be glad you did.
