Promoting Open Communication

There are always situations in which you need to communicate fast and clearly. Especially in a crisis, in new situations, or when there is time pressure. The STICC protocol helps you achieve this. The STICC Protocol was developed by psychologist Gary Klein as a tool for managing the unexpected. STICC stands for: Situation, Task, Intent, Concerns, Calibrate and is a technique for productive communication about what to do when you face a new, unexpected situation. This is what it means: S - Situation = Here’s what I think we face. The leader summarizes how they see the situation, problem, or crisis at hand. T - Task = Here’s what I think we should do. The leader explains their plan for addressing the situation, problem, or crisis at hand. I - Intent = Here’s why I think this is what we should do. The leader explains the reasons why they think this is the best way of addressing the situation, problem, or crisis at hand. C - Concerns = Here’s what we should keep our eyes on. The leader mentions possible downsides or future consequences of the solution suggested to be taken into account as well. C - Calibrate = Now talk to me and give me your views. The leader asks others in the team to give their feedback and viewpoints, and especially invites them to disagree and add. This technique helps you in managing pressured situations in three ways: First, once something unexpected happens, it helps to develop appropriate responses. The five steps are aimed at discussing with a team what to do in cases that are not familiar. Through its focus on concrete action, on gathering different viewpoints, and on speed, the STICC protocol is a quick way to take appropriate action in new situations. Second, in step 4 (Concerns), you open up the discussion for further uncertainties and other changes that may follow. In this way, you mentally prepare people that there will always remain uncertainties. This helps in developing a crisis-ready mindset that is not only helpful in the current crisis, but also in the next. Third, the fact that a constructive dialogue takes place also facilitates communication and mutual learning. Even though the leader brings the suggestions here, it is the team together that comes to a solution. And while doing that, they learn together and from each other in an open and adaptive way, which helps further prepare them for future crises. My advice: use STICC whenever you have to communicate fast and clearly. === Follow me or subscribe to my Soulful Strategy newsletter for more: https://lnkd.in/e_ytzAgU #communicationtips #agile #teamexercise

Ever feel like your conversations hit a wall—fast? You’re asking questions. You’re showing up. But all you’re getting are surface-level answers... or polite head nods. Here’s the truth: It’s not just what you ask.  It’s how you ask it. Strong leaders don’t need to have all the answers. They need to ask the right questions—the kind that spark clarity, ownership, trust, and growth. Here’s a quick breakdown that’ll level up your communication game ⬇️ 🔓 Open-Ended Questions Use when you want reflection, dialogue, and real insight. They unlock honesty, creativity, and connection. 💼 Leadership & Team • “What’s your perspective on how this project is going?” • “What do you feel about the direction we're heading?” • “What do you need from me to be successful right now?” • “How do you think we can improve our team dynamic?” 🔄 Feedback & Growth • “What part of that feedback surprised you the most?” • “What’s been working well for you—and why?” • “What would make this feedback more useful?” 🔍 Problem Solving • “What options have you considered so far?” • “What's the root cause, as you see it?” • “What would success look like in this situation?” 🤝 Coaching & Mentoring • “What’s holding you back right now?” • “What do you want to be known for in this role?” • “How can I support you without overstepping?” 🔐 Closed-Ended Questions Use for structure, speed, and decision-making. They bring focus, clarity, and momentum. ✅ Quick Check-ins • “Did you send the proposal?” • “Is the deadline still realistic?” 📊 Data & Decisions • “Do you agree with this plan?” • “Is that within our budget?” ⏱ Operational • “Has the issue been resolved?” • “Did the system go live on time?” 🎯 Pro Tip: Open-ended questions build trust and unlock real conversations. Closed-ended ones move things forward fast. Smart leadership is knowing when to use which—and why. Here’s the bottom line: Your questions shape your culture. They either open doors—or close them. Ask better, and you lead better. 👇 What’s one question that’s helped you unlock deeper conversations at work? ♻️ Share this with your network if it resonates. ☝️ And follow Stuart Andrews for more insights like this.

If your one-on-ones are primarily status updates, you're missing a massive opportunity to build trust, develop talent, and drive real results. After working with countless leadership teams across industries, I've found that the most effective managers approach 1:1s with a fundamentally different mindset... They see these meetings as investments in people, not project tracking sessions. Great 1:1s focus on these three elements: 1. Support: Create space for authentic conversations about challenges, both professional and personal. When people feel safe discussing real obstacles, you can actually help remove them. Questions to try: "What's currently making your job harder than it needs to be?" "Where could you use more support from me?" 2. Growth: Use 1:1s to understand aspirations and build development paths. People who see a future with your team invest more deeply in the present. Questions to explore: "What skills would you like to develop in the next six months?" "What parts of your role energize you most?" 3. Alignment: Help team members connect their daily work to larger purpose and meaning. People work harder when they understand the "why" behind tasks. Questions that create alignment: "How clear is the connection between your work and our team's priorities?" "What part of our mission resonates most with you personally?" By focusing less on immediate work outputs and more on the human doing the work, you'll actually see better performance, retention, and results. Check out my newsletter for more insights here: https://lnkd.in/ei_uQjju #executiverecruiter #eliterecruiter #jobmarket2025 #profoliosai #resume #jobstrategy #leadershipdevelopment #teammanagement

𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐧. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝. Just a couple of days ago, the European Democracy Shield was launched. A new layer of protection. A new layer of surveillance. A new layer where 𝑑𝑒𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑒𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑠 𝑑𝑒𝑏𝑎𝑡𝑒. The intention is noble: protect democratic discourse. But beneath that promise sits a deeper shift: 𝐖𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐜𝐡 – 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐝. Think of the last time an intelligent assistant refused your question. Not illegal. Not harmful. Just 𝑡𝑜𝑜 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑛 𝑖𝑛𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑦. 𝑵𝒐, 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕. A polite refusal. A behavioural nudge. Multiply that across millions of interactions, across platforms, across languages, across entire cultures. 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐩𝐭. 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤, 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐧. 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡, 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫. Inside organisations I see the same pattern: Leaders want acceleration. Security wants protection. AI wants certainty. And people? They learn to stop asking the questions that might confuse the system. Not because they are silenced. But because the architecture teaches them to stay close to the template. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐨𝐦, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐬: 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐜𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. We do not silence people. We 𝑜𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑒 processes until the safest option is to stay within the lines, even when progress requires stepping outside them. 𝐈 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐚 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬, 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬. Progress in any system - civic or corporate - depends on people who dare to step outside the expected path. 𝐖𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤. 𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐲. This is not future risk. It is present reality. And it leaves us with a question no regulation can answer: 𝐃𝐨 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐮𝐬, 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞? There is no perfect balance. But I believe one principle must stay non-negotiable: 𝐌𝐨𝐫�� 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 – 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. #Leadership #DigitalGovernance #FreedomOfExpression #TechEthics 𝘝𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘩𝘦

Company culture isn't perks and slogans. It's how people feel everyday in work: Great workplace culture doesn’t happen by accident. It’s built on purpose and intention. Here are 5 ways to create an environment where culture thrives: 1. 𝗘𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 → Employees need to trust their leaders and peers. → Transparency, honest communication, and follow-through on commitments are key. 2. ��𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗹-𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 → A culture that values mental health and work-life balance attracts top talent. → Offer flexible arrangements and support systems for personal and professional balance. 3. 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲 → Help employees see how their work contributes to a bigger goal. → Meaningful work fosters engagement and loyalty. 4. 𝗙𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 → Create a culture where feedback is encouraged and acted upon. → Employees need to feel heard and valued to give their best. 5. 𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 → Encourage learning opportunities and celebrate diverse perspectives. → Teams thrive in environments that nurture their skills and respect individuality. Great culture drives engagement, innovation, and retention. Customers will never love a company until the employees love it first 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗱𝗱? Let me know in the comments below 👇 --- ♻️ Find this helpful? Repost for your network. ➕ Follow Dr Alexander Young for daily insights on workplace culture, leadership, and growth.

It’s International Women’s Day. And while we’ll see plenty of feel-good posts about empowerment, here’s a reminder of why the fight for women’s rights isn’t just about celebration—it’s about change. Most Saturdays, I post an ad that’s clever or fun, something to spark lighthearted conversations. But today’s ad is different. Because this conversation matters. Here’s the truth: Women don’t need more pastel-colored ‘girl power’ campaigns. We don’t need vague corporate slogans about equality from companies that still have gender pay gaps and leadership teams that look like a boys’ club. Because no matter what we achieve, women are still judged on things that have nothing to do with their worth. Their clothes. Their tone. Their choices. Too much? Not enough? There’s always a label. What we do need? A world where women are valued for their contributions, not judged for their clothes, their tone, or whether they fit someone else’s idea of ‘likeable.’ A world where:   → A woman who speaks up isn’t ‘aggressive’ while a man is ‘assertive.’ → A mother doesn’t have to prove she’s still dedicated to her career. → A woman walking alone at night doesn’t have to hold her keys like a weapon. → A woman’s clothing choices don’t dictate her respect, her safety, or her credibility. The problem isn’t that women need to ‘break the glass ceiling.’ It’s that the system was built in a way that expects us to be grateful for the cracks. So before we pat ourselves on the back for progress, let’s ask: 💭Who’s missing from leadership? 💭Who gets interrupted in meetings? 💭Who gets told to "smile more"? 💭Who gets labeled before they even speak? And more importantly—what are you doing to change it? I know today’s ad isn’t my usual Saturday post. But I hope it still sparks conversation—because this is a conversation worth having. Progress doesn’t happen through hashtags alone. It happens when we stop making excuses and start making change. (This ad was part of a campaign from Terre des Femmes, Germany's largest women's rights organization.)

🙋🏽♀️ OPEN FORUMS 🎙️ Don’t skip this leadership ritual with the highest ROI/minute You can start them from next week. Here’s my 7-step guide: WHAT ARE OPEN FORUMS? A whole team gathering where team members can ask any question to the leadership. You see them everywhere: politics (town halls), investing (shareholder meetings), social media (AMA). My focus here is on how organisations use Open Forums (OF). HERE’S HOW I DID THEM AT 321 EDUCATION: 1️⃣ People involved: For whole organization: I as CEO would lead the Open Forum (OF) & pull in relevant leaders as needed. For teams: The team lead would lead & I would join as needed. 2️⃣ Frequency & Duration In times of uncertainty (new project, difficult times) → Every 2 weeks In times of stability (high clarity & satisfaction, solid leaders in all teams) → Every 6 weeks Normally: Every 4 weeks Duration: 45 - 90 mins. 3️⃣ Collecting Questions We had an always active link to submit questions → <10% of Qs came this way 1 week before, we reminded people → 30%-40% of Qs At the start of each OF, we gave 15 mins to submit questions → ~50% Qs 4️⃣ Anonymous & Written Questions Why Anonymous: - Many hesitate to ask difficult questions publicly (power dynamics) - This anonymity is critical in tough times. Why written: - Verbal questions can sometimes become about venting & ‘point-making’ - Often 1-2 voices dominate the discussion 5️⃣ Prioritising Questions The OF organizer would categories Qs & combine repetitive ones. Then we answered each one. If there were too many, we got the team to vote. 6️⃣ Harsh, untrue, abusive Qs This is a consequence of anonymity. Over 10 years, we only had a few of them, but they do increase with size & in times of difficulty. Our policy was: we will read the harsh & untrue ones as is, but will censor the abusive ones. Reasoning: - Questions show what’s on people’s minds. A good way to deal with untruths is to bring them out in open & refute them respectfully but strongly. - We censored abusive questions to not give them a stage. If people wanted answers, they knew abuse was not the way to go. 7️⃣ My Answering Guidelines: I tried to answer with the openness & clarity I would want from my leader if the roles were reversed. For Q with no clear answer, I would share: - My sense of the situation - Options - Decision criteria-process-timelines For Q with confidential answers: ‘I can’t answer, here’s why…’ —————————————————— I did 100s of them over a decade. They were pivotal in increasing team ownership, strengthening culture & providing clarity & comfort during uncertain situations. The most common feedback we got after our open forums: ‘I feel heard, clear & aligned’ As a leader, there are very few things you can do, that will get this feedback. Open Forums can. Give them a try. #leadership #CEO #manager —————————————————— Are open forums a ritual in your team?

Real conversations at work feel rare. Lately, in my work with employees and leaders, I’ve noticed a troubling pattern: real conversations don’t happen. Instead, people get stuck in confrontation, cynicism, or silence. This pattern reminded me of a powerful chart I often use with executives to talk about this. It shows that real conversations—where tough topics are discussed productively—only happen when two things are present: high psychological safety and strong relationships. Too often, teams fall into one of these traps instead: (a) Cynicism (low safety, low relationships)—where skepticism and disengagement take over. (b) Omerta (low safety, high relationships)—where people stay silent to keep the peace. (c) Confrontation (high safety, low relationships)—where people speak up but without trust, so nothing moves forward. There are three practical steps to create real conversations that turn constructive discrepancies into progress: (1) Create a norm of curiosity. Ask, “What am I missing?” instead of assuming you’re right. Curiosity keeps disagreements productive instead of combative. (2) Balance candor with care. Being direct is valuable—but only when paired with genuine respect. People engage when they feel valued, not attacked. (3) Make it safe to challenge ideas. Model the behavior yourself: invite pushback, thank people for disagreeing, and reward those who surface hard truths. When safety is high, people contribute without fear. Where do you see teams getting stuck? What has helped you foster real conversations? #Leadership #PsychologicalSafety #Communication #Trust #Teamwork #Learning #Disagreement

Rediscover our childhood curiosity: asking powerful questions 💡 Young toddlers ask 300 questions daily, especially "why" questions, which helps them make sense of the world around them. 🌍 This generally falls to around 25-30 a day in adult life. As adults, our "why" questions come from seeing things that may not be within our control rather than out of curiosity. Questions, especially great questions, demonstrate we are genuinely listening, and seeking to understand someone else's world or point of view.🎧 Asking good questions and listening is the key to effective communication in personal and professional relationships. Dale Carnegie advised in his 1936 classic How to Win Friends and Influence People. "Ask questions the other person will enjoy answering." I 100% agree with that and would also add, "Ask questions whose answer you are interested in listening to". In coaching, there is a special type of question: "powerful questions," which are mostly "how" and "what" open-ended questions. 🚀 Here are some of my favorites, which might also apply outside coaching, in a deep 1:1 conversation: What will you do? What is the dream? What is the challenge? How do you feel about it? What is your main learning? What is the opportunity here? What is your desired outcome? What is exciting to you about this? What is important to you about this? What support do you need to accomplish it? What are your favorite questions? Illustration by me 😊 Extract from an article by Front and Centre Training Solutions. Link to the complete sources in the first comment 👇 #personaldevelopment #questions #curiosity

Honest feedback is oxygen for organisations. Without it, learning slows, trust erodes, and culture weakens. In many companies people hesitate to share giving negative feedback. It feels uncomfortable to tell a colleague or a senior what is not working. The result is backbiting and gossip where people talk behind their backs rather tuan giving direct feedback. Over time this silence damages both relationships and performance. At Marico Limited we worked hard to build a culture where people could speak their mind openly. Feedback was encouraged in both directions. If I disagreed with someone, I would say it directly and respectfully. If someone had an issue with me, they were expected to tell me on my face rather than behind my back. The how mattered as much as the what. Focus on the specific incident, the impact on the business, and the way forward. When honesty becomes part of the culture, people feel safe to speak up. Problems are surfaced earlier. Solutions are found faster. Trust deepens. And the organisation becomes stronger. Feedback is not a threat. It is a gift that allows people and businesses to grow. #leadership #culture #growth #team #success