Getting KrE8iV With Employee Communication

Hearing From the Highly Reserved Employee

As a gregarious person, I almost never shy away from the spotlight. I realize, however, that most people aren’t like me. Some even see public attention as “a fate worse than death.” It was difficult for me as a manager to crack the code on how to get the shy employees I work with to open up. I need their input and feedback, and I discovered I needed to get creative for that to happen.

Some years ago, I had a team of creatives who sat together in a cubicle farm. Trying to be an emotionally intelligent manager, I worked to be as visible as possible and “lead from my feet.” With many of the team members, I could stop by and ask how things were going, and get the feedback I was looking for regarding deadlines, innovations, potential problems, etc. There was one employee, however, who would always say that she was fine and would immediately close the conversation down. In my dealings with her, it was not difficult to see that she was a very reserved person, and yet when I got her talking one-on-one, I was delighted by her insights and ideas for continuous improvement to our department. I wondered how I could get her to regularly open up, so I could take advantage of all the value that she offered.

The answer came while watching a professional baseball game one evening. I was struck by a lightbulb moment as I saw the third-base coach hand-signaling to the batter what he wanted him to do on the next pitch. I realized the reason my employee was unwilling to talk when I greeted her each day was the fact that she sat in a cubicle farm. Her colleagues could hear everything she said. But although this was true, they couldn’t see her, so if she could give me a signal when things weren’t “fine,” I could take her to a private area and have a discussion.

The next morning, she confirmed in our private meeting that she was very uncomfortable saying things in front of her teammates. She agreed to give me a secret hand wave when things were less than “fine.” On Tuesday, she was “fine.” Wednesday, “fine.” But on Thursday, she said she was “fine,” while furiously waving her signal. I said, “I almost forgot. There is something I need to speak with you about, and I’d like to have you join me in my office for a few minutes.” Of course, I had no idea what was on her mind, but here was my chance to finally find out. Moments later in a private room, she confided several issues that otherwise would have gone unresolved, trapped in her mind.

Getting creative in dealing with problems can take managers from good to great in these situations. Making people feel safe to approach you as a manager is critical to successful communication. The next time you’re faced with a communication issue with a shy employee, you may want to try giving them the sign to swing away!