When Leaders Mislead Employees' Concerns About Problems
What they and employees can do better
Your gut instinct is telling you that something is wrong at work and that feels unsettling. When you ask about it and are told that the concerns or anxiety that you’re experiencing should not be held on to and that the worst won’t happen, should that result in peace of mind?
One leader discovered that he was in error in trusting what he was told.
"I believed them, but they didn't tell me the truth,” the late Lute Olson, a Hall of Fame basketball coach told an interviewer once about a job early in his career.
He had learned of rumors of a punishment for the program in which he worked that would directly affect him and those whom he was responsible for and led. Olson voiced his concerns and was told, to comfort his mind, that all was going to work out well and the punishment would not come.
That was not what materialized. The penalties for wrongdoing that wasn’t his did come and the leader and his people suffered hardship. That development was viewed by him, understandably, as a professional relationship betrayal, soured the relationship and soon led to a professional parting of the ways.
The employee had not planned on leaving that job, at least before this series of events, but they departed because of being misled. This person went on to continue their success and accomplish even greater achievements in their career.
Whether this was a case of lying, some level of not being fully transparent or really feeling that all would be well without also communicating potential risks, is not fully known, yet this type of situation is worthy of conversation.
“There are always painful situations that develop that leaders didn't expect and there are times where a leader chooses not be truthful so they can retain an objectively productive and successful employee a while longer and benefit,” says Hayden Cohen, the CEO at Hire With Near, a firm that helps streamline the talent acquisition process, including managing tasks like payroll and onboarding.
“Lying to employees is short-term thinking with long-term costs. Sure, you might keep a key employee a little longer, avoid a tough conversation or hit a short-term goal but the second they realize they’ve been misled, you’ve lost them.”
He is quick to point out, this is not isolated to just that team member.
“It’s never just one person,” Cohen says. “Word spreads, trust erodes and suddenly, your best people start looking elsewhere. If you’re playing the long game, honesty isn’t optional. It’s the only way to build a team that actually wants to stay and perform.”
“When it comes to big issues, like whether the company is going to last the next six months, it may seem like a good time to lie to keep employee morale up, but the short-term peace of mind is not worth it,” says Brandon Andersen, a digital transformation consultant who helps clients implement AI and machine learning systems that boost team efficiency and effectiveness, and the founder at Brandon Andersen Consulting.
“If the company is facing a crisis, employees should know about it. You never know where solutions for problems will come from and enabling people to know what is happening and then opening up their creativity to solutions could ultimately benefit the company.”
He proposes a different mindset to organizational concerns or fear of losing an outstanding person from the team.
“If you're worried that someone is going to leave because the seas are getting choppy, perhaps that person isn't the best fit for your company,” Andersen says. “Find people who are passionate about your company's vision and mission and if your company's mission and vision are terrible, maybe work on that as a starting point.”
“Making decisions based on immediate rewards and ignoring the long-term impact will eventually backfire,” says Patricia Grabarek, PhD., an industrial and organizational psychologist and the co-founder at Workr Beeing, a company that uses the science of wellness to build thriving workplaces.
“A healthy work culture requires trust, transparency and mutual respect.
“When leaders deceive their teams to keep short-term peace, they damage the culture of trust. This leads to disengagement, workplace stress and employee burnout.”
Errors in forward thinking can be more costly than anticipated.
“Remember, lying to your team only ‘kicks the can down the road,’” Grabarek states. “Eventually, it will catch up with you,” she warns. “You'll face high levels of turnover, disengagement and a diminished sense of loyalty.”
Organizations know that their team members have emotions. They may forget that they too, are like them and that desire to be respected and provided empathy.
“It's also crucial for leaders to remember an important truth: employees are human,” Grabarek says. “They are not just resources to manage. As humans, they require a sense of trust in leadership and a respect for their well-being.”
When communication is not in alignment with expectations, problems will happen.
“When leaders lie, they undermine their teams' psychological safety,” Grabarek says. “That's detrimental not only to employee morale but to the organization's overall success. Trust, transparency and empathy are key to sustainable growth and success. Leaders who acknowledge that employees are whole people with lives outside of work will create environments where everyone thrives.”
She understands that leadership sometimes has harsh realities it would rather not disclose to its employees, especially its most prized ones.
“It's always difficult to confront uncomfortable truths head-on,” Grabarek says. “But if you work though those truths quickly and with care, empathy and integrity, you'll create a resilient, thriving organization.”
A question from the employee side becomes what can they do in situations that feel murky or dangerous in their gut and their employers communicate to them that the future is bright or not as problematic as their instincts are telling them.
Choose to be courageous and assertive.
“Talk to your immediate supervisor and bring it up,” Andersen recommends.
“Ask for transparency and also offer that the information that you learn won't be for public consumption. It will allow you to make a better informed decision about how to help, if you can.”
He does offer a “don’t do.”
“Do not go over your immediate supervisor's head and ask someone else,” Andersen warns. “That will lead to massive distrust.”
He is speaking from experience and shares how it affected trust and his work.
“That is a mistake I've done in the past and it nearly cost me my job and I ended up with a toxic relationship with my immediate supervisor,” Andersen painfully recalls. “Try to build trust both ways.”
Cohen says that it has to be consistent before such stressful times develop.
“This is another reason why it’s so important to build social relationships at work,” he has learned and advises. “If you have a good rapport with your colleagues, especially in other departments, they’ll give you an independent source of information to check what your employer is telling you.
“This habit can also help you respond to these situations when they do happen; they can be connections that lead to new jobs or sounding boards for deciding how to proceed.”
While it might feel safer to ignore risks or say nothing, Grabarek recommends not doing it. “First, acknowledge that gut feeling. Don't ignore it. Act with intention. You should feel empowered to seek clarity and advocate for yourself.
“If your boss says things that conflict with what you're seeing, don't just accept their truth. Ask questions. Request specific examples, data and concrete plans that demonstrate how the ‘bright future’ will unfold.”
If the doubt, anxiety or distrust remains strong. It may be time for the hard decision.
“Know when it's time to move on,” Grabarek says. “If you feel that your values or well-being are at odds with your company's culture or your boss's leadership style, it may be time to pursue a healthier work environment.
“Prioritizing wellness and personal integrity will actually lead to more professional success because you'll be more engaged and productive over time.”
That’s exactly what the leader at the beginning of this article decided and exactly how his career progressed to him reaching the greatest heights of his accomplishments.
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