Lead with Empathy and Transparency…Like Greta Thunberg

When it comes to the hot topic of climate change the young activist Greta Thunberg has been making quite a splash in the news around the world. Even world leaders have come to learn of her view on the state of the natural environment and how she feels about the level of effort that’s being put toward reducing pollution. If you haven’t been following this news, spoiler alert, she’s not happy about it. Though climate change is a topic that has my attention, for this piece I find myself intrigued with how the world is reacting and will continue to react to the outspokenness and frank nature of Greta’s style of speech.

We’ve all been there, whether at school or work, where we identify a needed change in some sort of process or system that we’re forced to work in. We see something that negatively impacts us or someone close to us that we care about. We can clearly see what’s broken and we may even have a good idea of how to apply a positive change. Also, what’s often true is the fact that we’re not alone in recognizing the need for a change. Co-workers or fellow students are there eagerly cosigning on the ideas that we have. Yet, there’s this social norm that typically occurs. Nothing much is said beyond the social group that is suffering under an antiquated system.

Why not speak out? I can’t definitively say why the majority of individuals do not approach their manager or HR representative to begin a healthy dialogue around change. But, I think many will agree that the culture of many work environments is such that it does not create an environment where one finds it easy to speak out. There’s a general lack of trust that exists where an employee worries about their job security after stating an adverse opinion.

This is why I find Greta intriguing. For speaking out she’s already garnered the attention of many supporters who feel the same way she does. But, she’s also attracted the attention of those who would attack her and attempt to discredit her. It seems that those who respond with threats and anger want to intimidate her into silence, and yet she continues to speak on. It is this strength that I admire. But, I also wish that it didn’t call for strength and bravery to bring attention to such an important topic such as pollution.

Greta has decided to take her fight to the world stage, but let’s look focus back on the smaller environment of the workplace. I would love to see being ushered in a new wave of empathy for all, even to the chagrin of those who may miss the days when you really didn’t have to care about those whose voices commonly went unheard. We’re witnessing an age where marginalized groups are speaking out and demanding to get noticed. Not long ago the common worker was a part of that group and I believe for the most part still is. The current entrepreneur movement may very well be evidence pointing to such a reality. People are choosing to move out from under a system that has chosen to not listen to them no matter how hard they plead. When I look at the work for yourself movement, I think that at least some in this group feel that If you can’t beat them, then leave them.

In reality we’re not all destined to be entrepreneurs and that’s okay. It’s perfectly fine to work for someone, especially when you’re getting behind a company or a cause that you truly believe in. Those who choose the path of owning their own business appreciate the help and support of awesome employees. And, when the pairing of these two sides is correct the result is something even greater than the individual parts. Unfortunately all too often this wonderful pairing of employer and employee isn’t the case. Many in the workforce find themselves in environments that produce and support a culture of fear. With this being the case many feel powerless and Instead of working to improve what might be a broken system, they instead find ways to cope with it. They choose instead to not be a squeaky wheel. Many employees fear that the wheel that squeaks won’t receive grease, but will instead be replaced.

I think business owners and their managers can go a long way in helping to remove the above stigma by doing the following:

Making sure that each employee truly has access to be heard by management. Simply stating that you have an open-door policy isn’t enough since many may still be hesitant to be the one to potentially disrupt your time. An effort should be made to reach out first, especially in the case of those that seem more likely to not speak up. Admittedly this is harder to do as businesses and teams grow, but as the saying goes, you make time for what’s important to you. I personally find myself handling most of the employee concerns in the earliest parts of the morning and in the evening just after the close of business.

Freely and openly admit when you don’t know something. This makes it easier for others to do the same. It also shows the room that you’re not impressed with those who have the most answers. Doing this repeatedly, while also not chastising those who contribute answers that turn out to not be the correct path, quickly removes the idea that there’s some social currency in sounding smart and pulls individuals together as a team to instead work to find the best answers and not just ones that sound good.

Encourage those that you manage to let you know when you’ve missed the mark. When such an opportunity arises I will often remark of my own mishap, “well that was a stupid mistake”. But, then I immediately shift focus towards what the possible fix can be. In this way employees realize what all humans already know, that mistakes happen. If we’re apart of a project that’s attempting to achieve something that’s never been done before, of course mistakes will occur. Instead of wasting time dwelling on those mistakes it’s more important to move forward applying the best solutions. This is the best way to spend our energy. 

Be as transparent as possible. When you openly share as much information as you’re reasonably able to, this builds trust. The act of giving trust often results in trust being given in return. But, this is also practical advice because when all realize the direction of the company and where it intends to go next, everyone can lend to the success of that movement and no one is blindsided by what can often appear as a sudden shift in direction.

Give real opportunities to apply an idea. I once asked my manager to give me the smallest program. I told him that I would improve it by increasing efficiencies and build a model that other programs could benefit from. I also stated that if it failed he could fire me and even state that I acted against his wishes so as to totally protect his position. When given the chance with my own team I allowed the team to experiment. Of course I gave them the parameter that they needed to prove their thesis within two weeks since the project could not spare any more time. Why do I think this is valuable to do? Because if they proved me wrong then in the end I would have learned something new. On the other hand, if they failed to prove me wrong the team would have to gain respect for my knowledge. Overall it’s a strong, concrete way to build mutual respect and show a team just how much trust exists in the relationship.

Be the shield, rock, and protector that removes all impediments to progress. By all means in your words and deeds show the company that you own or the department that you manage that you view yourself as part of the team. Remember that you’re a leader, and that’s an important role. But, you should know that this is not a cushy role. You’re to be the first to run into battle and facilitate the needs of the rest of the team so that you all can be successful. This last point takes all of the previous points into consideration and finds you practicing all of those qualities we just mentioned not just within the company/team, but also outwardly to other department heads, clients, and customers. While you’re being transparent about what you’re team is doing you’re the one absorbing the blows when needed, when things don't go as planned.

This leads to another aspect that I find interesting about Greta Thunberg in that she has not approached her audience with the stance that she’s the one who will save us. She does not pretend to have all the answers. As a matter of fact, she states that there’s much that she doesn’t know. In this way at such a young age she’s acting like a mature leader. Instead she’s only calling attention to an issue and then using that attention to attempt to give the floor to those who we all might see as a real subject matter expert, the environmental scientists themselves. In this way it’s like they are the team that she’s looking to put them on high while she takes the negative blows of those who aim to stop her. In speaking out she only wants the world to hear and benefit from the possible solutions that those experts can apply to the issue of a degraded natural environment.

I like to think that Greta is so blunt and outspoken because she truly believes in and cares about the issues that she’s speaking on. Many are excited by this young woman and have embraced her while others are not so enthralled with how she has chosen to point a harsh finger at many of the world’s leading officials. For those that do stand on her side of the issue it appears that she has weighed missing out on a school education and other recreational pursuits. She has put those things that most young people might view as their right to have and instead has chosen to employ empathy when imagining how uncomfortable this world may possibly be if it continues to be assaulted with pollution and massive acts of over-fishing and deforestation. If business leaders today were to follow this way of thinking they would not doubt help create an environment where empathy, transparency, and trust were put at the forefront. In such a culture, no doubt fear would erode and creativity and innovation would be allowed to shine.

Note: this article grew into a life of its own and became longer than initially intended. A second part will be published soon. Thanks for reading.