Here’s a trap I’ve noticed leaders falling in to. And it can be tough to untangle.

People bring problems to them. But not many people ... like 1-2% of the company. So they walk away believing it is a small problem ... “I need to hear from others”.

What is going on? 👇 (1/n)

What determines whether ppl speak up?

Awareness
Awareness of impact on others
Perceived impact/severity
Sense of urgency
Sense of safety
Skill in providing feedback
Confidence that org will respond
Perception that issue is being addressed

Why does this matter? 👇 (2/n)
Take a newcomer to the company.

Newcomer sees the problem. But...

They aren’t aware of impact
Low sense of urgency
Don’t interact much outside their team
Believe something is being done about it
Less confident about navigating org

well, they don’t speak up 👇 (3/n)

...
Another scenario.

An employee has seen repeated cycles of feedback over the years, and no tangible action. They lack confidence org will respond. They’ve figured out how to work around the problem.

“I guess that’s just the way it is”

Well, they don’t speak up 👇 (4/n)
Or

Imagine that most retrospectives are local. People don’t really get to hear open feedback from across the org. So they themselves sit around wondering if it is “just me”.

Or mentioning X is seen as “bringing problems not solutions...”

Well, they don’t speak up 👇 (4/n)
The company runs a regular engagement survey and things seem on the up and up. There’s qual feedback (only a small group of ppl review it). But there has been a drop in participation.

Well, the survey isn’t representative. It is a sample of ppl willing to reply 👇 (5/n)
Or ... imagine a scenario where feedback passes “up the chain” through a series of managers. The managers respect the feedback, but water it down (a bit) with each hop.

They are worried it might reflect negatively on them...

Well, the feedback gets watered down 👇 (6/n)
You see the issue here.

1 to 2% of a company mentioning X, could very well be a signal of much larger (and more important, and more urgent) issue.

So...# of ppl raising X, is rarely a good indicator.

Dig deeper (7/end)

More from Life

This month I’m turning 22.

To celebrate, here are the 22 best threads I’ve found on Twitter this year.

Mostly about:

•Life/purpose
•Startups
•Entrepreneurs
•Writing
•Clarity of thought

If I see more interesting threads, I will add to this list.

Enjoy!

1. @ryanstephens: Need tips on growing a newsletter, mastering Twitter, writing online?

@ryanstephens breaks down a podcast discussion between @davidperell and @nathanbarry

Here’s what you can


2. @jackbutcher: How to separate your time from your income

•Explore the market
•Build equity
•Build products and services
•Scale your reputation
•Break the matrix

A fantastic thread complete with helpful


3. @AlexAndBooks_: I love to read.

Here is a great thread on 10 fantastic books.

Includes a short summary of each.

Don’t just take it from me, this is straight from the legend: @AlexAndBooks_


4. @m_franceschetti My biggest revelation in 2020 was the importance of sleep.

Here, @m_franceschetti founder of @eightsleep gives us his eight sleep hacks to improve sleep for 2021.

Do these and your productivity will

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