Stephen Shedletzky

Speak-Up Culture: When Leaders Truly Listen, People Step Up

As the Andy Stanley quote goes, “Leaders who do not listen will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing to say.” And, that silence is dangerous.

Poor leadership behaviors result in toxic cultures and lackluster performance. Cultures of silence lead to missed opportunities, failure and sometimes even disaster. Part of the problem is that the more senior a leader becomes the more removed they can get from the truth—the experiences of team members and customers alike. These are the very people who make their organization a success. A leader’s whisper is heard as a shout and tip toes felt as stomps—the silence and nodding heads that often follow can falsely be considered consensus.

Here, leadership speaker, coach, advisor, and author Stephen Shedletzky—or “Shed” to his friends—demonstrates that in a speak-up culture, not only do leaders have the skills and attributes to hear ideas, concerns, voices of dissent, and even mistakes, they also encourage, reward, and act upon them. This fundamental ability to create a culture where it is psychologically safe and worth it to speak up—and to view the organization and the people in it as a living, breathing organism they are meant to support (rather than as cogs in a machine to operate)—is vital to the long-term success of any organization.

Speak-Up Culture shows you how creating such an environment is the responsibility and the advantage of every leader who wants to be great at leading, and who wants to create a better version of humanity while they do.

Session Objectives:

• Unpack the two main questions of a speak-up culture: Is it safe? Is it worth it?
• Explore why speak-up cultures are good for people and good for business.
• Discover the two components of a speak-up culture – Encourage & Reward.
• Learn tactical and proven methods to listen to your people and cultivate a feedback rich, speak-up culture.
• Explore the destructive impact of gaslighting and toxic positivity on people, teams, and cultures.
• Unpack leaders’ responsibility and advantage in building a speak-up culture.