“Most organisations are pretty good at top-down one-way communications, but my philosophy when it comes to leaders is that: “We need to earn the right to hear from your employees.”
"If you simply say that you have an open-door policy and a ‘Come and see me if you’ve got a problem or an idea’ exclamation, virtually nobody takes that up. Or if you do this big town hall meeting and tell them your strategy and direction and say, ‘Ask me anything’, how many people are willing to raise their hands? You can’t assume that you’ve done your part.
"It is about gaining the trust of the employees so that they feel safe and comfortable enough to speak up about their struggles, such as lack of information, lack of clarity, dealing with bad bosses or colleagues. There are also good ideas that are always kept behind and so, good leaders need to earn the trust of his or her team, and create proactive measures to reign this bottom-up information and of course, act on it.
"Also, do not put up with jerks or toxic work environments or team cultures."
Read also: Ng Sang Beng: Lessons On A Happy Work Culture