Handling Office Chatter

𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗻 “𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗼𝗿” 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗻 “𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗸𝗶𝗼𝘀𝗸”… 𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘁? Having an 'open door policy' is a popular principle believed to be synonymous with good leadership. The intention is noble - to make oneself accessible, driving transparency and collaboration. 🔴 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗽 𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲. For the person with the “open door” it can become a constant interruption that makes it really hard to get work done. 𝐴𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝𝑓𝑢𝑙? 💡 You see - 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺; 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁. If your team can't move an inch without seeking your nod it's the lack of empowerment and autonomy in your team that is the real problem. Rather than fixating on keeping the door open or shut, focus on truly enabling your team members to be confident and equipped to make decisions and own their actions. An "open door" is not an invitation to run every minor decision by you. It's a safe space for them to bring ideas, concerns, or problems that they cannot handle themselves. Your role is to inspire confidence, and to cultivate an environment where they are not afraid to make decisions independently. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝟰 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀: ➊ 𝐸𝑛𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝐷𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛-𝑀𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔: Start by identifying the areas where they can make independent choices. Guide them through their first few decisions, build their confidence and gradually let go. The goal is to build their confidence in making informed choices. ➋ 𝐸𝑛𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝐴𝑐𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦: Make sure everyone understands their roles and the expectations tied to them. Reinforce that each person is responsible for the outcomes of their tasks. The more accountability they own, the less they will seek constant approval. ➌ 𝑆𝑒𝑡 𝐶𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝐵𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠: Help them discern the situations that truly require your attention and where you expect them to run with it. But – there is a caveat: People are at different points in their growth journey and you must do this with each of your core team individually. ➍ 𝐺𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑈𝑠𝑒𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝐹𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘: Highlight their good decisions to boost their confidence and tactfully point out areas of improvement. Show them that mistakes are learning opportunities, not disasters. Remember, a leader's job isn't to do all the work but to build a team that can work efficiently, even when the leader isn't in the room. _______ 👉 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑛 𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑝𝑖𝑒𝑐𝑒 𝑏𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑛 𝑚𝑦 𝑜𝑤𝑛, 𝑝𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 20 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑙𝑜𝑦 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑎 𝑣𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑡𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑒𝑛𝑣𝑖𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠.  

Building a strong company culture is a continuous process. It requires more than just defining values and hanging posters on the wall. It demands active participation and a genuine commitment to two-way communication. Too often, organizations fall into the trap of "top-down" culture building. Leaders dictate the values, but employees are left feeling unheard and disconnected. True culture change happens from the bottom up. Think of it like this: you can say you value transparency, but if you look down on people who speak up, your culture will be anything but transparent. Actions speak louder than words. So, how do we build cultures that truly resonate? • Involve employees in the process from the start. • Create safe spaces for open and honest feedback. • Empower individuals to contribute to shaping the culture. • Be consistent in your actions, demonstrating the values you preach. The result? A workplace where people are engaged and genuinely invested in the company's success. Yes, building a culture of trust and transparency takes time and effort. But the payoff is immense.

🚫 Manager A: "This is simple. Why are you struggling?" ✅ Manager B: "I’m glad you spoke up early. This is exactly what we talked about, and I love that you’re raising your hand. Because you spoke up early, we have options and ample time to discuss what to do." Managers, you can't tell your team to speak up when they need help... then chastise them when they do. You need to celebrate the behavior you want to see. During this time, it might feel like you’re over-correcting because you’re dislodging an existing norm. You are trying to set a new norm. Once your team believes you won't yell at them, you can speak more plainly. You can jump straight into problem-solving mode and be more direct: "Hmm this isn't great, but it's not the end of the world. Did you consider A, B, or C? Next time, let’s build in a bigger buffer." But at the beginning, spend a few moments to celebrate their behavior of speaking up--and genuinely mean it.

What do you do when someone on your team is brave enough to criticise you? Me? I promote them as soon as possible. Why? Because in high-performing companies, innovation thrives when teams feel empowered to challenge ideas respectfully. As a leader, fostering a culture of constructive dissent can unlock your team’s full potential and fuel spectacular business growth. Here are 5 techniques I use to build openness and encourage dialogue: 1. Encourage continuous feedback Don’t wait for annual reviews or formal discussions. Make candid feedback a regular part of daily operations — through check-ins, town halls, or anonymous surveys. The more often feedback is shared, the less intimidating it becomes. 2. Model respectful dissent How do you react when your ideas are challenged? Leaders should actively invite differing viewpoints and listen with an open mind. When leaders encourage respectful dissent, it signals to everyone that diverse perspectives are truly valued. 3. Reward honest opinions Recognise those who respectfully challenge the status quo. This reinforces the idea that fresh thinking is an asset, not a liability. (Fun fact: The US State Department has an annual Constructive Dissent Award, given to those who courageously stand by their principles.) 4. Be transparent in decision-making After making a decision, explain the reasoning behind it. Even if someone’s idea isn’t chosen, knowing their input was genuinely considered strengthens future buy-in and trust. 5. Align after discussion Once a decision is made, the team must unite behind it to make it work. Remind everyone that while debate is healthy during the process, whole-hearted execution is key to success. You really can criticise your way to success. A culture of constructive dissent leads to smarter decisions and a more productive team. The key? Making sure every voice is heard and valued. Do you agree? Promise not to fire you if you don't!

Every generation upgraded its phone. But somewhere along the way, our focus got downgraded. The screen never sleeps, and silence feels like a glitch. Yet, two senior leaders I recently worked with both from global #manufacturing MNCs discovered something powerful while building their Productive Mindset. They began with a simple rule: 25 minutes of phone-free focus. At first, it felt uncomfortable. The urge to check notifications every few minutes was real. But within a week, they noticed something remarkable tasks that used to take them 3 hours were now done in under 90 minutes. Their secret? They redefined “open-door policy” to “open door + focused time.” A sign on their office door reads exactly that. Initially, the team resisted. “What if we need you urgently?” But soon, they appreciated the outcome clearer decisions, quicker reviews, and calmer meetings. Try this: Pick one 25-minute slot today. Put your phone away. #Focus on one thing deeply. You may just realize how much brilliance hides behind your #notifications.

“𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗼.” It's a lament us trainers hear often - and i try my best not to do workshops where there is a feeling of helplessness or that the session has been a "waste of time" for my participants. So when someone recently asked me to run a session for a group of executives — entry-level folks, about 2–3 years into their roles — on how to speak up at work. My answer? Not yet. Not because I don’t believe in helping people find their voice — I’ve built a career doing that. Because here’s what often happens: We train people about psychological safety and how to create safe spaces and then HOW to SPEAK-UP, and they try. Once. Maybe twice. But if the culture isn’t ready — if their manager or leaders aren't equipped to respond with curiosity rather than defensiveness — those voices get shut down. Worse, they don’t come back. They go quiet. For good. And just like that, they learn the most dangerous lesson: "𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘂𝗽." This is not an opinion. It’s a pattern backed by data — especially in many Asian workplaces where hierarchy, power distance, and the need to “save face” still shape how we communicate. 🔹 A study across China and Japan showed that when employees bypassed their immediate boss t𝗼 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗿-𝘂𝗽𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 favo𝘂rably — even when their intentions were good. 🔹 In 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗲, 𝟲𝟮% 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 avoid sharing personal concerns at work for fear of repercussions. 🔹 And globally, one big reason people stop speaking up? They believe nothing will change, or worse — that they’ll be punished for it. So when people say, “𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘂𝗽,” I want to say: 𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵. That’s why I said no to the session. Instead, I offered something else. ✅ A facilitated session around how we — as peers and teammates — can create micro-cultures of safety. ✅ Techniques on How we can build trust and rapport across functions and levels. ✅ And how we can disagree without damage — so people feel heard, not hurt. But the real work? That starts higher up. If you’re a manager, your ability to receive feedback, ask better questions, and create space for dissent isn’t a “nice to have.” 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹. So before we ask our people to speak up, let’s first help our managers learn how to listen up. What do you think: when change needs to happen… should we train upwards or downwards first? #Leadership #PsychologicalSafety #CultureChange #RethinkCommunication #TheChangeBusiness #TheRightResponse ---------------------------------------------------- I am 𝗥𝗼𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗶, co-founder of THE CHANGE BUSINESS, and I help 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧-𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘 & 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧 𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀.

Culture work often gets written off as vague. Too soft. Too big. Too hard to act on. In reality, most cultures that feel heavy or frustrating don’t need fixing. They need focus. That’s what these 6 culture focus frameworks are for. Practical lenses leaders can actually use to decide where to act next. A few things they deliberately do: 🔍 Shift attention from statements to signals Culture isn’t what’s written on the wall. It’s what gets rewarded, ignored, or quietly tolerated every day. 🎯 Reduce overwhelm by narrowing the playing field When everything feels important, nothing changes. Progress starts by naming what matters now. 🔁 Replace big programmes with small habits Culture doesn’t shift through decks or relaunches. It shifts through repeatable behaviour. ⚖️ Make pressure visible When systems don’t hold, people do. Often the most capable people are carrying the most strain. ⚡ Restore clarity before asking for more energy Overwhelm is rarely laziness. It’s fuzzy ownership, unclear decisions, or priorities that never landed. (That's what we found in our Growth Cultures Insight Report) 👣 Turn insight into one doable step Cancel one meeting. Clarify one decision. Close one loop. Momentum beats perfection. These frameworks work especially well: In leadership conversations In team retros When something feels “off” but no one can quite name it If you shape culture in any way, formal or informal: Pick one framework. Ask the first-step question. Run a small experiment for two weeks. Culture doesn’t need fixing. It needs focusing. 👇 Which one are you most tempted to use first? ♻️ Repost to help others and follow Sarah McLellan for regular insights on simplifying culture shaping.

Focus Series - Part 1 Maintaining focus is the most important success factor for emerging brands.  This is a 3 part series on how focus can help a brand succeed.  It is estimated that fewer that 1% of brands ever exceed $10 million in annual revenue. So, setting yourself up for success is critical. One of the most common mistakes that I see brands make is to introduce a second product line when they are less than $25 million in revenue. This is almost always a mistake. Why? Because you are going to dilute focus of the team. This dilution trickles down through all the functions of the organization. They will be less efficient and mediocre selling multiple product lines vs just focusing on one key product line mission. I want to share with you two examples from our portolio, that illustrate the power of focus. The first is Good Culture. When Manna Tree first invested in Jan 2022, cottage cheese was their main product line but they had started to branch into other products including sour cream, cream cheese and probiotic milk. The board led by the new investors, MT and Semcap, determined that the opportunity in cottage cheese was huge and that rather than expand product lines, management should focus on cottage cheese. They discontinued the milk joint venture and de-emphasized sour cream and cream cheese. Management became laser-focused on the high growth cottage cheese opportunity. That approach allowed the team to dramatically increase their store footprint and deliver a product mission and message that resonated with consumers. Good thing they did as it led to hypergrowth with revenue increasing nearly 5x since then. The second example is New Primal. I first joined the board of the Company in Aug 2023. At the time, it had a $20 million net revenue run rate. However, that included three product lines adult meat sticks, kids meat sticks and sauces with 68%, $13.6 million, coming from the two meat sticks lines. During the next six months, I helped management and the board to decide where to focus. At the time, meat sticks was growing 33% while sauces was growing 7%. But within meat sticks, Snack Mates (kids meat sticks) was growing 117% and had grown from $2mm to $4mm to $7mm over the previous three years. Ultimately, we decided to deemphasize the sauce business (no new expansion) and focus 100% on meat sticks, but with a particular focus around Snack Mates. Snack Mates had a unique competitive advantage in the market as the only meat stick brand that was designed around kids; flavors, sizes and packaging. This strategy helped to catapult the company to about $31 million in net meat stick sales in 2025, despite capacity contraints.  Based on pent-up demand with retailers and new capacity coming online in 2026, they are projecting to hit $50 million. By focusing on one product line, both companies accelerated their growth as the whole team coalesced behind one mission! Got to Focus part 2 https://lnkd.in/gcteqW4c

Focus drives impact.  As go-to-market teams navigate growing complexity, clarity on priorities and disciplined execution are more important than ever. Harvard Business Review shares 7 ways managers can help their teams focus. They are:  Make an inventory of tasks and projects – Ask team members to list and regularly review all tasks and major projects to clarify workload and priorities.   Curate communication channels – Define the purpose and proper use of each communication channel, including expected response times, to reduce distractions.  Make saying “No” normal – Normalize declining low‑priority work by creating psychological safety and rewarding honest, clear boundaries.   Make meetings meaningful – Ensure meetings have clear agendas, are optional when appropriate, and follow up with summaries and action items.   Enable purposeful productivity – During one‑on‑ones, support prioritization, remove nonessential work, and help reorganize task lists.   Formalize focus – Encourage team members to block dedicated focus time on their calendars, establish meeting‑free days, and protect those time blocks.   Respect boundaries – Everyone, including managers, must honor others’ focus time by not scheduling meetings during blocked periods; coordinate rather than override.   At Outreach, we’re building with this kind of intentionality, so every rep, manager, and leader can execute with confidence.

Silence at work isn't golden. It's toxic. Here's why speaking up is crucial for success: The cost of silence is staggering: • $550 billion lost annually due to disengaged employees • 85% of workers withhold critical feedback from bosses • 42% of employees never speak up about workplace issues This silence epidemic stunts innovation and growth. But why do people stay quiet? Fear of retaliation tops the list: • 38% fear damaging relationships • 27% worry about being labeled a troublemaker • 20% think speaking up is futile The "MUM effect" (Keeping Mum about Undesirable Messages) is a psychological tendency to avoid delivering bad news. It's hardwired into our brains, but it's costing us dearly. Breaking the silence starts with leaders: 1. Create psychological safety • Hold "anxiety parties" to normalize discussing fears • Implement a "no-retaliation" policy for speaking up 2. Reward candor • Publicly praise those who voice concerns • Tie bonuses to constructive feedback given 3. Train for crucial conversations • Teach the "COIN" method: Context, Observation, Impact, Next steps • Role-play difficult scenarios in team meetings 4. Lead by example • Share your own mistakes and learnings • Ask for feedback in every 1:1 meeting 5. Implement anonymous feedback channels • Use tools like TINYpulse or 15Five • Ensure action is taken on anonymous input A culture of silence is a ticking time bomb. Every unspoken idea is a missed opportunity for growth. Foster an environment where speaking up isn't just allowed, it's expected and celebrated. Your team's success depends on it. If you found this valuable: • Repost for your network ♻️ • Follow me for more deep dives • Join 25,500+ subscribers for more actionable tips to build your brand and protect your reputation: https://lnkd.in/edPWpFRR