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We all have elephants in our workplace. You see them in the meeting room, in the office, on the floor and even at the water cooler. There is no business – large, small, for profit or not-for-profit – that is without elephants lumbering around creating stress and ongoing conflict that inevitably impacts staff engagement and the bottom line in a negative way.
Some organizations house such large beasts that new employees and outside observers are stunned as to why no one is talking about them. And that is just what an elephant is in the workplace: it is the real issue in the workplace that creates chronic problems that everyone knows about but no one is willing to address.
Why is this the way it is? Fear and lack of trust are usually the key reasons. Fears regarding job loss, upsetting the boss, what fellow employees might think, not getting that promotion and the list goes on.
So when fear and lack of trust exist, the elephant in the room grows larger. No one takes responsibility to bring the issue to light or to establish clarity, which would lead to shared understanding and solutions.
We do a popular workshop aptly called “Hunting the Elephant”, based upon our research that shows that in most circumstances, when leaders and staff are equipped with some fundamental communication techniques, it is easy to rid the organization of the elephant. The key to successfully hunting the elephant is having direct and objective conversations on a daily basis once miscommunication is established or a problem is perceived.
In our workshop, we spend a lot of time breaking down the following six steps to Hunting the Elephant. However, the steps can be used by anybody at anytime. The key is to practice before you have the actual conversation. If you are leader, you want to be modeling the six steps all the time on a daily basis. Your people will see that open and honest communication concerning any issue is important to the team. This will build trust and reduce fear.
Six steps to hunting the elephant:
- Convey your positive intent
- Name the issue or concern in the most objective way possible
- Clarify why it matters: potential impact on you, the team and/or the organization
- Identify your potential contribution to the issue
- Survey the other person’s response to determine how accurate your observations or interpretations are
- Work together to clear up any miscommunications and build potential solutions with clear action steps
Remember that every day, leaders and staff are misunderstood. When this happens, issues develop very quickly and can spiral out of control. Create a culture in your business where everyone takes responsibility for hunting the elephant by having direct and open conversations whenever there is potential conflict or misunderstanding. In the long run, this will save you time, money and resources.
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Shane Jensen, MA, ACC, CEC
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www.newquestcc.com
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