The Harvard Business Review website recommends managers first ask themselves the following questions. The answers will show whether it is your behaviour that causes others to keep their mouths shut.
Are you really interested in the opinions of others?
Admit that your ego may be preventing you from listening. Focus on which types of information and data you are happy to listen to and which you tend to ignore.
How much do the people around you fear speaking up?
Start by observing how you naturally react when someone comes to you with a problem. Everyone sometimes loses their temper; if however, you want staff to keep being open with you, publicly apologise.
What do you know about political games in your company?
In every organisation there are people trying to please their superiors at all costs. They will tell you only what you want to hear, which is dangerous. You have to learn to understand why some people tell you only certain things and remain silent about others.
Do you know the unwritten rules of communication regarding the status of people in your company?
Everyone in the organisation has a certain label: director, woman, novice, salesman, etc. These labels then shape the rules of who can speak and who will be listened to. Try to look around yourself more and discover how people are labelled. Only then can you break this stereotype.
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