We’ve all done it. Laughing at the boss’ jokes is a hard one to grasp at the start of your career. You don’t want to be a suck up but that person you despise for that very reason just landed a big account after drinks with the boss. They are apparently new best friends and you wonder why your hard work hasn’t got you as far. So the next day you push yourself into conversation with the boss which is uncomfortable enough until you somehow find something the boss says funny. You see the boss’ eyes light up and realise they are just like everyone else, an ego massage goes a long way. The next thing you know you are agreeing with the boss just for more attention and to be trusted with information beyond your role. You land a project that stretches you and opens up a whole new network and possibilities and you keep up the belief that your boss is the brightest new businessman come stand up comedian. In fact when you grow up you just want to be like your boss. That’s great, but there is one problem:
Your boss is an arrogant jerk who causes everyone a lot of problems.
Very few of us work with the ideal boss, in fact most people I know who have progressed in their careers would say they “grin and bear it”. And that includes those in HR. You might be sitting reading this thinking that you have been in this exact situation or you know the person in work who has sold their soul to get ahead. You might even think that you should give it a go and see if it works. But what if the idiot boss goes beyond causing problems and begins to cause harm, either to the organisation, team or individuals? The same boss has confused your obedience with loyalty and relies on you to be their wingman. You decide to speak up and the fire of 1000 suns appears instantly in the boss’ gaze. What do you do?
The code of conduct revision from the CIPD (members can access here: http://www.cipd.co.uk/about/code-of-conduct-review/_draft-code-professional-conduct.htm ) now requires members to question unlawful and unethical practices as stewards of the organisation. When the boss’ poor jokes are replaced by the executive team’s poor people policies how does an HR worker step up and question their boss? I know very few workers in large organisations who are happy to rock the boat and it makes sense from a survival perspective. When HR professionals look to improve people practices there is going to be an element of saying “what we have isn’t good enough” no matter how many times you say “i just want to make it better”. It would seem it’s only the brave, or well equipped, who dare to make this jump to strategic thinking and implementing. “Yes” men seem to live longer.
So where do people learn to become equipped in giving bad news? My other half is a nurse which includes the terrible job of telling families when a relative has passed away. I can honestly say anything I do in my career won’t be anywhere near as difficult to do as that but it shows that there are people out there with the experience and skills to communicate anything. Where are they in the business world? There are lots of people who talk about winning friends and being positive the whole time. Vaseline smiles all round. But what about being honest about what’s best? In an ever changing marketplace organisations need to be critical to reduce inefficiencies and genuinely celebrate when things are going well. Honesty is lean. It gets straight to the point and makes things clear. Do you know someone like this? If you are a manager, do you help your staff feel comfortable being honest? Are you honest with yourself and others?
I’m not saying we need to speak our minds about everything and crassly criticise everything in our view but if we want to enjoy an open, successful work environment, maybe it’s time to be a bit more honest.
Alastair
shredhr 