Page 215 - Fearless Leadership

202 FEARLESS LEADERSHIP

committed to controlling information and looking good than she was to
being authentic and talking straight. But the irony is that Karla did not
succeed in looking good. Her direct reports did not trust her, she lost cred-
ibility, and word spread to others outside of her group to “watch your back”
with Karla.
The obvious conclusion: People want straight talk from you and are dis-
appointed when they discover they cannot trust you to be emotionally and
intellectually honest with them. When you soften a message, withhold
important details, or fail to provide full disclosure, you significantly dimin-
ish your ability to build powerful teams and relationships with others.
People trust leaders who are transparent, inclusive, and straightforward.
Your credibility depends upon the degree to which others perceive you as
direct and accessible.
Talking straight responsibly is an absolute requirement in building a pro-
ductive work environment. When leaders dance around the real issues and
put a positive spin on what they communicate, people feel that they are
being spoon-fed pabulum. Unless organizations attack leadership behav-
iors directly, they get more of the same. There is nothing worse than an
organization led by leaders who are blind to their blind spots.

High Uncertainty, Low Productivity

It is important to understand the construct of uncertainty and how it
applies to optimizing performance. Most people have an overriding need
to reduce uncertainty and guesswork and do not tolerate high levels of
ambiguity. It is incumbent on you as the leader to keep uncertainty low
so people can stay focused on business needs. People work effectively when
they are given complete information and are able to make sense out of
what is happening.
The point is that people have a predominant need to increase pre-
dictability. This is why closed and guarded leaders generate negative con-
sequences and raise anxiety levels when they withhold information from
others. When there is organizational uncertainty, people direct their
energy to information-seeking about what is not being said in order to
reduce their anxiety. When leaders do not talk straight responsibly, and
in a timely manner, uncertainty levels climb and productivity takes a hit.
But when leaders provide clear direction, are frank about the challenges,