Five Ways Leaders Can Get People to Speak Up

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Peek under the hood of any corporate scandal or organizational failure, and you will almost certainly find one person, if not more, who knew that something was awry but failed to raise their concerns to leaders who were in a position to do something about it.   Across industries — including health care, car manufacturing, and aviation — the root cause of many crises can be traced back to environments in which employees felt unable, or unwilling, to voice their concerns.

Despite the well-known and often disastrous consequences of silence, many leaders remain confused about how to effectively solicit challenges from their teams. Based on their research the authors uncovered several concrete behaviors that are clearly effective in soliciting challenges from teams, which we discuss in a recent white paper.   Here, they outline five of the most effective actions that leaders can take to make constructive challenges not just possible but an integral part of organizational culture.

1. Ask better questions.  One of the most common missteps leaders make is asking broad, nonspecific questions like “What do you think?” or “Does anyone have any input?”   More effective questions directly invite disagreement. Instead of asking, “Does anyone agree with this plan?” consider asking, “What could go wrong with this approach?” or, “What are the potential risks we haven’t considered?” 
2. Acknowledge challenges as legitimate.  Simply inviting challenges isn’t enough — leaders also need to respond in a way that encourages further input. Generic expressions of gratitude, such as “Thanks for your input,” were ineffective at encouraging more challenges.   What made a positive difference was leaders acknowledging, specifically, the legitimacy of the challenge itself. For example, instead of a vague “Thank you,” when leaders responded with statements like “That’s a valid concern” or “I hadn’t considered that angle.
3. Keep meetings interactive and friendly.  Challenging a leader can be intimidating, especially since power imbalances are often pronounced. However, we found that leaders who maintained a friendly and interactive meeting atmosphere — using humor or taking fewer turns to speak themselves, and leaving more of the floor open for their team members to contribute — were more successful at eliciting challenges from teams.
4. Give decisions time.  Leaders must ensure that enough time is allocated for open discussion. Rushed decisions leave team members feeling that they lack the space or opportunity to fully articulate their concerns, which stifles constructive criticism. Study showed that longer meetings in which team members had the chance to digest and discuss ideas in detail led to more challenges to the leader’s flawed proposal and ultimately improved the decision.
5. Create accountability.  The study found that when leaders made individuals responsible for the success or failure of an idea, people were much more likely to challenge decisions they disagreed with. This is particularly effective when leaders use phrases like “Which option do you think is the best, A or B?” or “What’s the next step you all would like to take?”  When leaders amplify team members’ accountability for the outcome of a decision, the cost-benefit equation of remaining silent shifts — and incites people to take a stronger stance if they truly disagree with a course of action.

For leaders, cultivating a culture of constructive challenge is not a one-time effort; it requires close attention and sustained commitment.  In a world where the risks of silence can be catastrophic, the ability to foster open, honest dialogue is one of the most important skills a leader can develop. By encouraging dissent and embracing different perspectives, leaders can navigate complexity, mitigate risk, and drive their organizations toward long-term success.