Why Candor Works

Want to scare a room full of people who have gathered for a meeting?

State the following, “Today, we’re going to use candor.”

People will nearly faint.

Candor evokes fear and insecurity.

But candor is the destination you must reach.

As an organization, no meeting or brainstorming habit will serve you better than candor.

Candor is nothing more than the ability to practice honesty about ideas and workflow.

If an idea is bad, your team needs to have the courage to say that it’s bad.

Brainstorming sessions not producing ideas as you want?  Encourage candor!

Your team needs to know that they are in a safe place where ideas and push back can be shared without any ridicule or eye-roll.

Candor only lives in a culture of trust.

I trust that you won’t call me an idiot.
I trust you won’t ridicule me in front of the team.
I trust that you believe my ideas are worth hearing.
I trust my voice has value to tell you that you’re going off track.

Can your team trust you to be that kind of leader?  A leader that allows candor to flourish.

Why do you want candor?

John Maxwell once said, “It is the job of every leader to give an idea to their team and expect it to come back better.”

Ideas only come back better where candor is practiced.

As the leader, candor only lives if you’re approachable and trustworthy.

You can build a culture where honesty is practiced, and the best ideas make it to the game.

Or, you can demand leader worship where everyone agrees with you and never tells you the product needs improving.

The choice is yours.

Choose wisely for that choice will determine your Enduring Leadership.

 

– Brian Sanders