Difficult discussions: How industry leaders can boost talent with honesty

However, according to Harcourts Group Australia head of business operations, Kyrstie Nolan, managers can often mistake niceness for support and avoid difficult discussions, causing performance issues, errors, and an inability for staff to develop in their roles.

Nolan said that while being forthright can be challenging, authority figures have a duty to be clear with their team members, passing on honest feedback to help them grow in their careers.

The cost of avoiding conversations

Nolan said leaders failing to deliver constructive criticism to employees can result in errors, a lack of clarity around standards, and an inability to achieve key performance indicators (KPIs).

For example, she said she had recently seen someone lose their job because their manager did not pass along feedback that was being discussed at an executive level.

“Unfortunately, in this case, this person lost their job because they didn't have a leader that cared enough about them to be honest and forthright about dress code or not seeing [them] in the office enough,” she told REB.

She said it was a manager’s job to provide staff with feedback, regardless of how hard it was to be honest, so employees are aware of opportunities to improve.

“I do think with my team, if I'm not clear about my expectations, it does lead to performance problems, which then lead to a performance improvement plan (PIP). If we can alleviate that from happening, that's always beneficial.”

However, aside from workplace performance issues, Nolan said the biggest detriment of a lack of clarity was the individual's failure to grow.

“They're not learning and they're not being seen as a strong leader or someone strong in their own role if they're not being pushed and they're not being driven to continually be better and improve every day,” she said.

Bringing humanity into leadership

While maintaining honest communication is essential, Nolan said it doesn’t mean being ruthless or overly direct; it means having the ability to understand the employee’s position.

“If I look at myself personally, I would not respond to a leader that is addressing me in tone – I don't feel like I'm being respected,” Nolan said.

“We all have things going on in our personal lives. I'm certainly not a corporate square or a robot myself. It's just about meeting people where they're at and understanding that we are all human.”

However, while leaders should approach conversations with empathy, Nolan warned against becoming a pushover or being overly emotional.

“It's just about having a tone that is really understanding where they're coming from, why they are performing or responding in the way they are,” she said.

Making clarity a daily habit

To make clarity a habit in the workplace, Nolan advised managers to have regular discussions with their teams so they know where they might need to improve.

“I used to find it really difficult to be clear with my team because I am someone that naturally leads with empathy – it's just meeting people where they're at and frequent communication with your team,” she said.

For example, she said that meeting with a team member for monthly one-on-one catchups or only when there is a problem would make it difficult to have constructive and honest conversations.

“I chat with my team every day. I know what's going on in their world, work and personal, as much as I want to share with me, of course, having those honest conversations just becomes second nature."

“Just be honest: ‘This is really frustrating me at the moment. What's going on? What can I do to help? Is there something I need to be aware of? Or do we need to put a plan in place to make sure this doesn't happen again?’”

Understanding employees’ goals

However, to ensure feedback is tailored to individuals, Nolan advised leaders to understand their team members' career goals, helping them fulfil their potential.

She said that to get the most out of team members, leaders should ask where they see themselves in the future, and what they require from their superior to support them and help build their expertise.

“And it might not be what they're doing at the moment. This might be a stepping stone, and that's completely fine – I don't hire people and think they're going to be with me forever,” she said.

“Whatever I can do with them during the time with me to help build them up and give them the skills and the experience and the confidence and the learnings to make that next step in their career, I think that's really important,” she concluded.

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