An anxious perception
Sharing your thoughts is so very hard to do
When there are so many people judging you
When there’s no right or wrong, just a sea of ideas
How do ‘they’ stand tall
rise up
hold court
with no fear?
Sharing your thoughts is so hard to do
When there are many people judging you
The angst of rejection, humiliation, spoken error
Uncertainty and self doubt
hang there
When you just want to share
your mind
your ideas
Sharing your thoughts is hard to do
When there are people judging you
To rise up, hold court yourself with no fear
is a leap too far
hold back
stay silent
It’s the norm to reflect and consider
Think - doubt - decide
Say this - don’t say that… just want to hide
Sharing your thoughts is so hard to do
When there is just you… judging you.
Ruth Ollis
This poem was written by a colleague of mine, Ruth Ollis, on our internal Health & Wellbeing programme ‘Going the Distance’. I think it’s brilliant on a number of levels, not least in terms of the courage that it took for Ruth to write and perform this in front of a group of her colleagues. I also think it’s brilliant because it captures how a lot of people feel at work every single day. If even 10% of your people feel this way (though I suspect the figure is much, much higher) then imagine the ideas, creativity and common sense that you are missing out on.
What is it then that we can do to create environments in which our colleagues can fully be themselves and not worry about being judged? I believe that at the core of this question is a need to reflect carefully on the environments in which we work. What is the prevailing culture? Is it one in which power and knowledge is held based on hierarchy? Or is it a culture of performance and improvement, in which everyone is expected to – and is keen to – contribute ideas about how things could be done better? The answer to the vast majority of challenges that each business faces lie within the business itself – with the people who fully understand the market, customer base, internal processes and products. Working in an environment of leadership action, in which employees notice when something needs to be done, weigh up the options and, most importantly, have the courage to take action, will lead to agile, responsive and customer-focused organisations. This can only be achieved when it is a normal thing to do and, as Ruth says, people don’t feel as if they or their ideas are being judged.
I suggest sharing Ruth’s poem with some colleagues and asking how many of them identify with feeling this way at work. This will give you an indication of the potential you have in your business to liberate the brilliance of your people.
Roy White - Senior Consultant, UK