{"id":98,"date":"2018-10-18T06:53:37","date_gmt":"2018-10-18T06:53:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/danielvlopes238992071.wordpress.com\/2018\/10\/18\/the-2-things-that-hold-employees-back-from-giving-honest-feedback-at-work\/"},"modified":"2025-02-27T18:53:21","modified_gmt":"2025-02-28T02:53:21","slug":"the-2-things-that-hold-employees-back-from-giving-honest-feedback-at-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2018\/10\/18\/the-2-things-that-hold-employees-back-from-giving-honest-feedback-at-work\/","title":{"rendered":"The 2 things that hold employees back from giving honest feedback at work"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Why we don\u2019t get honest feedback as leaders, even when we ask for it.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As a CEO or manager, it can feel utterly maddening to have leadership blindspots<\/a>\u200a and not get honest feedback at work\u2014\u200aespecially when you want<\/em> to know what you improve on as a leader, in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You try everything in your power to be \u201cin the know\u201d: employee surveys, suggestion boxes, one-on-ones, town hall meetings\u2026 You tell your employees that your door is always open, that you want to hear their honest feedback, that you can handle the truth\u2026and yet it doesn\u2019t seem enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is that the case? There are two primary reasons why you continually seem to have blindspots as a leader\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fear<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When you\u2019re the boss, there\u2019s an inherent power dynamic underpinning every interaction you have with your employees\u200a\u2014\u200aso fear comes into play. Employees worry about you treating them differently if they speak up. In an employee\u2019s head, you might take a comment personally and become defensive. You might choose to delay a promotion. You might even fire her or him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this feeling of fear is not the biggest reason why employees choose not to share what\u2019s on their minds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Futility<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The biggest reason employees don\u2019t speak up at work is because of a sense of futility<\/strong>\u200a\u2014\u200athey believe even if they were to say something, nothing would change. They don\u2019t think their opinion or idea will have an effect on the outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, studies have shown futility to be 1.8 times more powerful than fear<\/a> as an obstacle to giving feedback. Specifically, according to a 2009 Cornell National Social Survey, more employees reported withholding their ideas due to a sense of futility (26%) than a fear of personal consequences (20%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, it\u2019s not that we\u2019re merely scared of giving feedback. It\u2019s that we don\u2019t think anything will come of the feedback when we voice it. Futility, more than fear, is why employees choose not to speak up to their bosses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This means as a manager, founder, or CEO, you need to overcome these sentiments of fear and futility if you want to avoid blindspots.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what\u2019s the first step is to overcoming the sentiment of \u201cfear\u201d? We have to Go First<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a deeper dive, be sure to check out our \u201cFeedback Loop<\/a>\u201d module in Canopy. The first few lessons are free \u2013 as are hundreds of daily tips. Try\u00a0Canopy<\/a><\/em>\u00a0for free, yourself, today.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n

Never miss a post \u2013 get our latest leadership insights, as they’re released…<\/h3>\n\n