Vitriol is not Candor

Transparency

Candor

Not shying away from the hard truth...

We hear employees say all the time that they want this type of communication from their leaders.

And, too often we see leaders who don't truly understand the fine line required.

Increasingly, we come across leaders who share too much, who cannot differentiate between boldly sharing and going too far. They believe they are communicating with candor.

More often than not, they've missed the point.

Leaders don't share every sordid detail.   We do summarize, sharing direct truths without subterfuge.

You're not there to gossip.

You shouldn't run straight from a meeting & dish up all the current chaos for your team. 

If there's going to be an organization change, great, prepare a thoughtful message to address it. But you don't need to share that it's because Manager X didn't meet results so Leader Y is getting rid of Manager X.

Avoid the attempt to seem relatable through disparagement or over-sharing your personal feelings.

For example don't say, "We all hated Manager X anyway, I'm glad they're going to get rid of them, but I really don't want to deal with Leader Y either. They're so demanding."

Okay, what if you're not sure what a thoughtful message is. What if you need insights and wise counsel from your team? 

Great. Leaders should seek wise counsel. Nevertheless, avoid pulling in your team and swearing them to silence while you rehash the unfortunate argument you witnessed.

Instead:

• seek their insight about the issue, not the drama,
• avoid repeating the gossip, and
• focus on what is going to happen, when it will happen, and the need to understand and handle the impact and communications about this.  

Alright, let's take it further. Let's talk about those leaders who think it's appropriate to spew their anger, frustration, disgust, and disappointment. 

If Jodie screwed up a sales call, candor is not about saying, "Jodie you're an idiot. How could you have made that mistake when we've practiced this pitch so much?"

 Candor requires honesty tempered by an emotionally intelligent response and paired with care and concern.

If Jodie screwed up a sales call, a leader will discuss this in private, giving immediate feedback as soon as possible and then following up in performance coaching later.  You might start with, "Jodie, you seemed unprepared and made several mistakes in the sales call. Can you tell me what happened?"

Be thoughtful. Be direct. Care without oversharing. Be a Boss Leader when you communicate.