The most telling moment of my HR career was a room full of silence.:

The most telling moment of my HR career was a room full of silence.

I was part of a listening session for high performers that our VP of HR set up.

Basically a Q&A. She asked the participants if they had a question and I jumped right in and asked:
"What percentage of our workforce has caregiving responsibilities and what are we doing to support them?” I’m talking about mental health, aging parents, kids, etc.

Crickets.

That was a pivotal moment. That silence spoke volumes. It revealed a one size fits all mentality. I realized in that moment I had outgrown the culture.

Servant Leadership is what the best leaders practice: trust, autonomy and empathy. Loyal to their teams. Developing them.

If we aren't taking inventory for the mental and emotional load of our teams, we aren't leading. We’re just operating a system of command and control.

Another question I asked was “why aren’t managers rated by their teams on their performance?”

That was a hard no.

But here’s the truth: There is no incentive for the manager to grow if the only person rating them is the Director who never sees their day to day impact at the ground level.

Listening sessions & surveys are great but not consistent for feedback and action.

They say your manager has more effect on your mental health than a therapist.

Be bold, be courageous, be curious & ask the questions.

The right culture matters.

And there are two choices: break the silence or pivot.