In today’s world, businesses constantly encourage employees to speak up, fully aware of the many benefits—from early problem detection to increased innovation. Yet what is often overlooked is that speaking up requires courage, and such courage does not easily emerge in rigid, hierarchical workplaces.

🔹 In most organizations, there is no clear mechanism for expressing criticism or suggestions; and even when such mechanisms exist, trust in them is low. The result? People prefer to stay silent, or at best, share their thoughts anonymously and quietly. This means we are still far from achieving genuine freedom of expression within organizations.

🔹 Many managers fail to realize that freedom of expression is not just a slogan or a public‑relations tool; it is a real competitive advantage. An organization that listens to diverse perspectives and does not fear disagreement can identify challenges earlier and act more creatively.

🔹 But when this environment is absent, concerns are not voiced through official channels; instead, they spill over into social media and public platforms—places where neither crises can be controlled nor trust easily rebuilt. Silence inside the organization amplifies the noise outside.

This phenomenon can be observed at three levels:

◽️ Ideal Level A space where employees share their views with psychological safety, and innovation thrives.

◽️ Minimal Level Tools like suggestion boxes exist, but mainly to reduce legal risks rather than to foster a culture of dialogue.

◽️ Critical Level Public whistleblowing due to complete distrust in internal organizational processes.

🔹 What threatens businesses today is not only corruption or discrimination, but also indifference toward social and environmental responsibilities—issues that often create deep dissatisfaction among employees and directly lead to protest and whistleblowing.

💭 The solution? Transparency, genuine listening, explaining decisions, and creating a safe environment for dialogue. When employees feel that their perspectives are heard and understood, they not only become more motivated but also more committed to the company’s values.

📕 Adapted from Higher Ground by Alison Taylor

💎 Stephen Robbins, in his book 53 Principles of Managing People, writes: Modern managers, during their university studies, become familiar with the concept of “involving others in goal‑setting.” For example, Peter Drucker considered involving others in determining organizational goals essential, calling it management by objectives.

🔹 As a result, over the past 40 years, unilateral and authoritarian management has declined, giving way to participative management.

🔹 Yet, when faced with research findings in this area, you may be surprised. These studies show that there is little difference between goals set by a manager alone and goals set with employee participation.

🔹 In fact, research indicates that participative goal‑setting has only a minor impact on employee performance, commitment, and motivation.

🔹 Therefore, in some situations, goals set collaboratively are executed better, while in other situations, goals set solely by the manager and communicated to employees yield better results.

🔹 This raises the question: why don’t people try harder to achieve goals when they are involved in setting them?

🔹 The answer lies in certain conditions that are essential for participative management to be effective. For participative management to work, sufficient time must be allocated to the process.

🔹 Moreover, the issues in which employees’ opinions are sought must align with their interests and benefits.

🔹 In addition, the employees themselves must possess adequate intellectual, academic, experiential, and skill levels.

🔹 The reality is that these conditions are absent in many workplaces. That is why many employees prefer their share in the organization to be doing the work rather than participating in setting goals.

Disagreement is an unavoidable, natural, and healthy part of building relationships with others. There is no workplace without conflict or differing opinions. You may dream of working in a peaceful utopia, but such an environment is neither good for the organization nor beneficial for you and your work. In fact, when managed well, opposing viewpoints can lead to many positive outcomes. Here are a few examples:

▪️ Better results When you and your colleagues challenge each other and constantly ask, “Is there a better solution?”, these constructive disagreements can lead to new and innovative ideas.

▪️ Opportunities for learning and growth Although having your ideas challenged can feel uncomfortable, it creates valuable learning opportunities. By listening and receiving feedback, you gain experience, face new issues, and evolve as a manager.

▪️ Improved relationships Working through conflict helps you feel closer to the people around you. You gain a deeper understanding of what matters to them and how they prefer to work.

▪️ Higher job satisfaction When you are not afraid of constructive disagreement at work, you are more likely to enjoy going to work. You feel more satisfied with what you do and enjoy your relationships with colleagues.

▪️ A more inclusive workplace If you want diversity and inclusion in your organization, you must be open to disagreement. While homogeneous groups may feel more predictable, diverse teams often perform better.

🔹 If you are someone who avoids conflict, this may sound discouraging—but fortunately, there are techniques that can help you become more comfortable with disagreement. Here are a few:

▪️ Let go of the need to be liked Most people want to be liked—it’s natural. Instead of trying to increase your popularity, focus on respect (both giving and receiving it). When you become comfortable with the idea that respect matters more than being liked, you set an example for your team that disagreement is acceptable, creating a more open space for sharing ideas.

▪️ Focus on the bigger picture Disagreement becomes difficult when you take it personally. But workplace conflicts usually stem from differences in goals or processes. Think about what the business needs.

▪️ Don’t equate disagreement with unkindness Most people are open to hearing different viewpoints if you express them thoughtfully and respectfully.

▪️ Find a role model and imitate them There is usually at least one person in your life—perhaps a colleague, relative, or friend—who excels at being direct and honest without creating unnecessary tension. Observe them. Notice what they do, and try to model their behavior.

🔹 Whatever tactic you choose, start small. Practice being direct in low‑risk conversations and see how it goes. You’ll likely find that it goes better than expected—and if not, you can learn from the experience and try again. Sometimes disagreement is exactly what the other person expects from you, as long as it is expressed with respect and empathy.

Stephen Robbins writes in his book “Managing People”: One of my friends, who manages a software company, was recently telling me how great his employees are and how much he trusts them. He said: “When we take on a new project, I just tell them, ‘Do your best—so well that no one can find a single flaw.’”

🔹 When I pointed out to him that saying “do your best” is not the most effective way to motivate employees, he was completely puzzled.

🔹 I explained: To achieve better results, you must set clear tasks and challenging goals for each person or team—not simply ask them to try harder. Otherwise, their effort may go in a direction that is not aligned with what you or your projects actually need.

🔹 I also told him that numerous scientific studies emphasize this point: when a person is pursuing a specific goal, their performance is significantly better than when they are simply working without knowing the purpose behind their effort.

🔹 In other words, clear and challenging goals have a much stronger impact on motivation and performance than vague instructions like “try harder.”

🔹 However, there is a major challenge in setting difficult and ambitious goals for employees: if they believe the goal is impossible to achieve, they will lose motivation.

🔹 That is why the most important challenge for any manager is to convince employees that they can reach the goal—even if it is demanding and difficult.

🔹 What I’ve said about clear and challenging goals may sound obvious or even self‑evident, but in practice, many managers fail to apply it.

🔹 Various studies also show that a very high percentage of employees report that they do not have clearly defined goals in their work.

🔹 They also express dissatisfaction with the lack of proper feedback on their performance and say they often do not know whether they are on the right track toward the intended goal.

🔹 So, if you want to improve your employees’ performance, instead of giving motivational speeches, do these three things:

◽️ 1. Set difficult and challenging goals for your employees. ◽️ 2. Convince them that they are capable of achieving those goals. ◽️ 3. Regularly evaluate their performance and give them feedback on whether they are moving in the right direction.

Seth Godin writes: Professionals show the best version of themselves when they step into their work—regardless of their personal circumstances or the type of audience they face.

🔹 For example, when a professional actor walks onto a theater stage, they perform their role to the highest standard, whether or not their rent is overdue.

🔹 Or consider a doctor who may personally be dealing with diabetes, yet listens to patients with patience and compassion and does everything possible to treat them.

🔹 This principle also applies to professional marketers and salespeople, who maintain completely professional behavior with customers despite any personal challenges they may be facing.

🔹 For instance, when a Starbucks barista smiles at a customer and wishes them a good day, they may be having a very difficult day themselves.

🔹 Therefore, we must always remember that sharing our personal struggles and what we are going through is something reserved for family and close friends—not for our customers.

🔹 In fact, if we fail to follow this principle, we won’t be able to continue our professional work for long, and we will quickly end up upsetting our customers.