It's hard to speak truth to power.
Your supervisor may not want to hear a conflicting truth.
The CEO thinks their strategy is the best.
An executive cabinet is blind to the context elsewhere in the organization.
Can efforts toward improvement be effective if leaders aren't listening?
Power dynamics make it difficult to tell and receive the truth. Hierarchical organizations and inequity exacerbate this divide. When we don't tell –and receive– complex truths from others, we can't lead well together. When those in positions lowest on the organizational chart don't feel safe sharing what they are experiencing, how can we hope to foster meaningful change?
On the flip side, there are presumptions about people at entry level or primarily client-facing positions. People in these positions are presumed to have fewer qualifications, less expertise, can be easily replaceable with turnover, and they don't get paid nearly as well. They receive less respect and are vital to meeting the organizational mission.
Leaders are buffered from reality. Organizations would be transformed if we narrowed the divide between executive and front-line staff.
Without addressing this divide, leaders misstep. Informed decisions are harder if we are too separated to be adequately informed. Our egos and agendas can drive siloed change efforts instead of theories of change being implemented consistently and effectively across the organization. Without the wisdom and experience of those on the front lines, those in executive leadership are missing significant truth, operating with blinders.
Recently while departing Baltimore airport our plane was on the tarmac for an extra hour. My seatmate and I joked with the flight attendant, and we struck up a conversation. Soon we were chatting about existential questions like "what is truth," "who defines right and wrong," and "what does ethical decision-making look like?" He was a decorated, retired military Sergeant, having worked with top brass around the world and having served in multiple war zones. I was intrigued and curious.
He always required new officers to work front-line
We agreed that leaders are uninformed when we don't fully understand, respect, and are accountable to those with boots on the ground.
Do you observe leaders in a hierarchical system making decisions without understanding and receiving regular input from those at the bottom or middle of that system?
Of course, there are risks in telling the truth to power, and those risks increase for individuals with less power. The more marginalized a person is, the higher the risk of speaking the truth. Often, I find that with more positional power we have, the less inclined we are to ask about, listen to, and incorporate someone else's truth.
Understanding and paying attention to power dynamics is critical as we develop thriving and inclusive organizational cultures. These are the types of outcomes that can come to fruition when we flip the power dynamics in organizations.
Fellow leaders and learners, I wish you courage and resilience for the journey.
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