Prof. Chukwuemeka Nwachuku’s Post

Self-Development Friday's Reflections - When the Silence is Deafening Ever walked into a team that’s silent or one that is always waiting on their leader’s reaction in all matters? Best to tread cautiously when you see those signs. Leaders who fail to listen to their team members, colleagues, and stakeholders risk isolating themselves and creating an echo chamber where dissenting voices are silenced. This lack of open dialogue and feedback can lead to stagnation, missed opportunities, and ultimately, a leadership vacuum where innovation and growth are stifled. In contrast, leaders who actively listen and engage with those around them foster a culture of trust, collaboration, and empowerment. By valuing diverse perspectives and encouraging open communication, these leaders are able to make more informed decisions, inspire creativity, and build strong, resilient teams. Which leader do you want to be ? Let’s strive to be leaders that bring out the best in our peers and teams. 💪👍🏻

A leader who doesn’t listen is like a captain steering a ship without a compass. Leaders often talk about valuing feedback, but actions speak louder than words. If feedback is ignored or punished, employees stop sharing it—leading to a culture of silence and missed opportunities. We can’t afford to make this mistake. Listening isn’t just a skill; it’s a superpower. 🗝️ Here are the top 6 listening pitfalls leaders face—and how to overcome them:👇 💡 Pitfall #1: Saying you value feedback but penalizing it ↳ Employees won’t speak up if sharing honest thoughts leads to backlash. ✔️ How to fix it: ↳ Build psychological safety. Ensure employees feel comfortable sharing without fear of consequences. 💡 Pitfall #2: Ignoring input and losing valuable insights ↳ When leaders don’t listen, they risk missing innovation and fostering a toxic culture. ✔️ How to fix it: ↳ Practice active listening and humility. Acknowledge feedback and act on it when possible. 💡 Pitfall #3: Creating a “yes culture” ↳ Surrounding yourself with sycophants limits creativity and risk awareness. ✔️ How to fix it: ↳ Reward diverse perspectives and celebrate constructive feedback. 💡 Pitfall #4: Overemphasizing criticism ↳ Too much criticism demotivates employees and kills engagement. ✔️ How to fix it: ↳ Follow the “3-to-1 Praise-to-Criticism Rule.” Recognize employees’ contributions often. 💡 Pitfall #5: Ignoring employee input ↳ This leads to costly mistakes and missed opportunities. ✔️ How to fix it: ↳ Actively integrate employee suggestions into decisions and show how their feedback shapes the outcome. 💡 Pitfall #6: Failing to empower employees to speak up ↳ Silenced employees disengage and withdraw. ✔️ How to fix it: ↳ Regularly ask for opinions, follow up with actions, and create open communication channels. What’s one way you’re fostering a culture of listening in your organization? ❓ P.S. Great leaders don’t just lead—they listen, adapt, and grow. What’s one lesson you’ve learned about the power of listening? Share it in the comments! ……............... If this resonated with you, don’t forget to share it. ♻ Open for #collaborations. 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗲, Faraz Anis 🍁 for more insights and AI updates. #FarazAnis #Leadership #Teamwork #ActiveListening #WorkplaceCulture

Leadership Habits Series : Practice Active Listening Active listening is a critical leadership habit, especially for leaders in being in effective position of influence. It involves fully concentrating, understanding, responding, and remembering what is being said. Here’s why practicing active listening is essential and how to do it effectively: 1. Build Trust and Rapport 🤝 Active listening helps build trust and rapport with your team. When leaders genuinely listen, employees feel valued and respected. This trust fosters a positive work environment where team members are more likely to share ideas and concerns openly. 2. Foster Collaboration and Innovation 💡 When leaders listen actively, they encourage a culture of collaboration and innovation. Employees feel more comfortable sharing their ideas and feedback, knowing that their input is valued. This can lead to creative solutions and improvements that benefit the entire organization. 3. Improve Decision-Making 🧠 Active listening provides leaders with a deeper understanding of the issues and challenges their team faces. This comprehensive insight allows for better-informed decision-making. Leaders can consider diverse perspectives and make decisions that are more aligned with the needs and goals of the organization. 4. Boost Employee Engagement and Morale 🎉 Employees who feel heard and understood are more engaged and motivated. Active listening shows that leaders care about their team’s opinions and well-being. This boosts morale and can lead to higher levels of job satisfaction and productivity. 5. Resolve Conflicts Effectively 🔄 Conflicts are inevitable in any large organization. Active listening is a powerful tool for conflict resolution. By listening to all parties involved, leaders can understand the root causes of conflicts and work towards fair and effective solutions. 6. Demonstrate Empathy and Emotional Intelligence 💖 Active listening is a key component of empathy and emotional intelligence. It allows leaders to connect with their team on a deeper level, understanding their emotions and perspectives. This connection is crucial for leading with compassion and creating a supportive work environment. In conclusion, practicing active listening is essential for leaders of large organizations. By making active listening a priority, leaders can create a more connected, innovative, and high-performing organization. #Leadership #ActiveListening #Trust #Communication #Collaboration #Innovation #DecisionMaking #EmployeeEngagement #ConflictResolution #Empathy #EmotionalIntelligence #EffectiveLeadership #TeamBuilding #ChiefLeadershipLabs

THE NEED TO BE ACCESSIBLE AND APPROACHABLE FOR SURBORDINATES. It is essential for leaders to create an environment (whether virtual or in-person) where their direct reports, superiors, and colleagues feel comfortable approaching them. Failure to be approachable can lead to missed opportunities, lack of credibility, and being perceived as uninviting or exclusive. Being accessible and approachable to subordinates is critical in any leadership position for a variety of reasons: 1. Establishing Trust and Bond: Being accessible helps the leader build trust and strong bond with their team members. When subordinates believe their boss is open to contact and ready for conversations, they are more inclined to trust the leader's decisions and direction. 2. Encouraging Open Communication: Accessibility promotes open communication inside an organisation. When subordinates know their leader is approachable, they are more inclined to share their thoughts, concerns, or feedback without reservation. This free flow of communication can improve problem solving, innovation, and team performance. 3. Resolving concerns Quickly: By being available, leaders are more likely to handle concerns or disagreements before they escalate. Subordinates who feel comfortable approaching their leader are more likely to seek assistance when faced with a challenge, enabling for rapid settlement of difficulties and the maintenance of a positive workplace. 4. Encouraging a healthy Work Culture: An approachable leader helps to promote a healthy work environment in which employees feel valued and supported. When subordinates know their leader is approachable and devoid of toxicity, they are more engaged, motivated, and content with their jobs, which leads to increased productivity and retention. 5. Improving Leadership Effectiveness: Being accessible helps a leader be more effective by keeping them aware about the organization's pulse. By interacting with subordinates on a regular basis, leaders obtain vital insights about team dynamics, individual strengths and weaknesses, and areas that may need attention or improvements. 6. Encouraging Employee growth: Approachable leaders provide opportunities for mentorship, coaching, and professional growth for their employees. When employees feel at ease approaching their leader, they are more likely to seek advice on career progression prospects or skill development projects. In summary, being available and approachable as a leader is critical for developing trust, enabling open communication, resolving issues quickly, cultivating a pleasant work culture, improving leadership effectiveness, and boosting employee development within a business. #LeadershipDevelopment #Leadership #DontBeaJerk #EndWorkplaceToxicity

Deliver Feedback with Solutions

You know, one of the toughest things for leaders these days is giving feedback without the fear of being labeled a #bully. It’s like walking on a tightrope. You want to address issues, but there’s this underlying anxiety that if you’re too direct, you might be seen as harsh or overstepping. With all the focus on creating #psychologicallysafe and #inclusive workplaces (which is great, by the way), there’s also been this rise in leaders holding back on tough conversations because they’re worried about being called a bully. And let’s be honest—that label sticks, even when your intention is good. But here’s the catch: when leaders avoid giving feedback, it creates a whole new set of problems. The little things you don't address? They snowball. Employees are left in the dark about what they could be doing better, and performance issues just linger. Plus, the longer you let something slide, the bigger the conversation becomes when you do finally have it. So, avoiding those hard talks to protect yourself can end up hurting both your team and your leadership in the long run. It’s a bit like sweeping things under the rug. It might feel better in the moment, but eventually, you trip over the pile. So, how do you walk that line without falling off? The trick is to approach tough feedback with a mix of honesty and empathy. It’s not about sugarcoating the message, but about delivering it in a way that says, “I’m here to help you improve, not tear you down.” If your team knows you genuinely care about their success, they’re going to be more open to hearing what needs to change. It’s like having a workout buddy who pushes you, it’s tough, but you know they’re trying to help you get stronger, not just make you sweat for no reason. Building that trust before the #toughconversation even happens is huge. If your team knows you’re open, transparent, and willing to listen, those feedback sessions won’t feel like a personal attack. Instead, they’ll see it as part of the growth process. Regular check-ins, open communication, and creating a space where feedback flows both ways makes all the difference. Then, when you do have to have one of those harder chats, it feels less like you’re coming down on someone and more like you’re in their corner, helping them level up. Join us for our next workshop on Mastering the Art of Tough Conversations with Compassion and Candour - 2 x half days in November. You'll see just how these straightforward these conversations can be. Workshop Link 👇 LeaderLab Nicole Stafford #radicalcandor #crucialconversations #psychosocialrisk #WHS #ISO45003 #humanbehaviour #amplifyhumanity #leadership

🚧 When a boss confuses their employees’ fear as a sign of respect, they can easily become a wrecking ball rather than a bricklayer. 🚧 One question I've been asked a lot during Q&As and workshops is what I think some of the most important skills and strengths are for leaders to develop. While there are tons of useful skills for any leader to develop, one of the most impactful skills a leader can work on is their EQ & Interpersonal Awareness 🧠 So many leaders conflate silence with agreement. They think that "no news is good news" when it comes to constructive feedback. They believe that because no one disagrees with them to their face, that people must genuinely agree with them. 🚨 This is one of the most dangerous traps for leaders and managers to fall into 🚨 Often, a consistent lack of dissent or debate is less a sign of alignment and more a sign of a fearful team culture. People know that you can fire them, so they will go along with what you say because they value their job, and perhaps they've even witnessed retaliation against a [likely former] colleague. As someone wielding even a moderate amount of power, it is incumbent upon YOU to create the conditions where people feel safe to raise concerns and disagreements. It isn't on the person with less power to be courageous. If you are in a place of authority, it's crucial to genuinely seek out feedback and to also be mindful about how you react to that feedback. If you only show appreciation for positive feedback and get defensive when someone has anything constructive to share, you are breaking the psychological safety of your workplace. 🧱 Be a bricklayer. 👷 Take all of the pieces that people give you--both good and bad--to build up something even better. Otherwise, you're likely to wreck any chances of sustained improvement.

Creating a feedback culture is easier than we think when we come from a genuine place and establish good relationships sonce day one. I also find useful to start the conversation by asking to provide feedback on my leading and managing style. What they would like to see more/less and what I could do to support them better. Of course the foundation of trust here is essential to ensure people feel safe in sharing this feedback with you. Build a genuine relationship first of all. We are all humans. Do you have a favourite feedback hack/strategy? #feedback #feedbackculture #leadership

Delivering feedback can be difficult. Delivering feedback in English as a Second Language is even harder. Check out Tony Gambill's expert advice below: I’m Adriana. I provide guidance and tailored courses (1:1 or small groups) to Non-Native English Leaders in Clinical Research and Clinical Trials who want to advance their careers, feel more confident and accomplished, using English as a tool. Contact me for details.   Connect | Adriana McNeil Business English Communication Coach Follow me | #AdrianaMcNeil to see all my posts Ring the bell 🔔 on my profile to get notified when I post! #BusinessEnglish #Communication #ClinicalTrials #ClinicalResearch #LinkedIn

𝟱 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 - One of the most important aspects of a leader's role is to deliver difficult feedback to their employees. Unfortunately, leaders often ignore this important responsibility because they are uncomfortable with having these harder conversations. Providing constructive feedback is difficult even for the best leaders, but they readily have these challenging conversations because they know it is necessary for their employees to succeed. 𝟭) 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 - Employees must believe that the leader cares about their professional well-being and success before they feel safe engaging in productive performance conversations. Leaders earn this trust by investing time in learning about and supporting their employees' perspectives, needs, and goals. 𝟮) 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 - Taking time to answer the question, "How do my "in the moment" intentions, for this feedback conversation, align with my long-term goals for this person?". This clarity allows leaders to choose their best mindset to provide feedback in a way that aligns to their longer-term goals and values. 𝟯) 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 - Describe the behavior(s) you can hear or see – things that a video recording would capture. This feedback approach helps leaders deliver clear messages while avoiding judgments. 𝟰) 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗧𝗼 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 - After introducing the difficult feedback, the leader should transition to asking questions to better understand the employee's perspective of the situation. It is rare that the feedback that needs to be shared is so critical or urgent that it justifies a leader not taking time to ask questions and listen to better understand the employee's perspective. 𝟱) 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 - Understanding when to shift the feedback conversation from looking backward to asking solution-oriented questions like - "What are your ideas for next steps?" - helps the employee regain autonomy and motivation. Two-way feedback conversations allow employees to take the lead role in advancing their professional development and establishing behaviors that will increase their performance. What else should be considered when providing difficult feedback? Share your COMMENTS below. ⬇️ To learn more about this post read my LinkedIn newsletter article, How The Best Leaders Deliver Difficult Feedback (5 Practices): https://lnkd.in/ecZktnfG Click the 🔔 on my profile to be notified when I post | Tony Gambill #leadership #careers #humanresources