The word decode means to analyze or interpret, and when it comes to organizations, this term revolves around the idea of leaders taking the time to reflect on the feedback their people provide them. During that reflection period, we connect the dots about what our people have said and decide what we want to do about it with a clear mind.

For example, I had a team member who thought I should offer more expanded days of paid time off to be more competitive with the market. After thanking her for her feedback, I explored the available options and whether we did need to expand that benefit. Following that research, it did make sense to add a few more days to be more competitive and meet the overall needs of my current team. I went back to her, thanking her again for her feedback, and let her know that I looked into the information and even discussed it with an advisor. As a result, I added five more PTO days per year for each team member. She was very thankful that I went through that process, and this helped everyone on the other end see the actions I chose to take to really listen to her and make her feel heard.

Learning to Pause

If you don’t know where to begin, start by practicing ‘pause.’ Hear what your people have to say, acknowledge and thank them for their feedback, then take the time to pause and reflect on what your employees really need from you. It can be a struggle not to immediately offer a solution when feedback is received when you’re steering the ship. Especially if it’s something you disagree with or don’t fully understand, so try not to respond with a ‘knee jerk’ reaction. Instead, think about the importance of their honesty and the kind of support needed for their development.

  • What kind of empathy and vulnerability should you provide to build trust and psychological safety?
  • How can you acknowledge their strengths and continue to leverage them for future growth?
  • What roadblocks can you help move out of their way? 

These profound questions require time and internal reflection to generate valuable answers. After reading thousands of employee engagement survey comments, I discovered how common it is for employees not to feel safe to express their true thoughts or ideas that might seem counter to the mainstream or expose them to attack. When you allow open communication, you show your employees that their feedback and willingness to be upfront matters to you. This assists in creating a culture within your organization where employees feel like they can fully be themselves.

That’s a win for all. So let’s commit to decoding what we hear more often, shall we?