The great silence of the board members

When she took over as CSO, a fresh wind was blowing in the company. The previous owner had withdrawn - a new board team had formed. Young, ambitious colleagues - it was fun to work together. There was a consensus - the previous traditional management style should give way to a collaborative management style. Flatter hierarchies were introduced. HR was given a new role - the focus was on the employee - "people first" was the new motto. Then came Corona. Sales slumped by 60%. The domestic business collapsed utterly. Crisis management was needed. Suddenly - as if out of nowhere - the senior boss reappeared and gradually took over the helm.

Instead of "people first", it was "efficiency first" again. Savings plans were distributed. Performance was demanded—praise - non-existent. "I always feel that what I do is never enough," the CSO complained when she came to me. "It wears me out. If I am lucky, my decisions are respected or accepted but always linked to the next demand. Never with words of appreciation. On top of that, the seed we had just sown feels completely withered - the clocks are running backwards in our house right now, or so it feels. " "Does the owner know your thoughts?" I ask the client in the Insight session. "No, of course, he doesn't. After all, I'm struggling overall with his return. Of course, I wonder, doesn't he trust us to do the job? Why is he coming back?" I inquire, "Does the owner know your thoughts?" "No - for God's sake. I can't very well tell him that I'm totally insecure. That would be grist to his mill. He had withdrawn with great fanfare - informed the whole company about it in a town hall meeting. That was just 15 months ago."  "Does the owner know how you feel about his return?" "As I said - I haven't told him. In fact, he called a board meeting specially and told us officially that he was coming back now in a time of crisis. He argued that we are in a time of upheaval and now we have to change a lot very quickly and that he, as the owner, can decide more quickly. That he can question things, etc." "What would best help you now?"

The vote of no confidence

"Well, it's almost like a vote of no confidence. What I would need is a vote of confidence. Right now, I feel like he doesn't trust not only me but the whole board - so in terms of our decisions." "What would be the first step to move you forward now?" The CSO ponders. "A first step? Difficult." "What could YOU do to make sure the owner knows your thoughts, your uncertainty?" "I'd probably have to just say it best - except that's not possible." "Stick to the idea of you telling him. How could you tell him?"

The silence meant that the owner's return had become a trust issue for the whole board. Behind the back or "in the virtual coffee kitchen", the voices became louder and louder. In every board meeting that took place without the owner, the mood was a topic. Such a situation has three negative consequences: 1. the conversations cost a lot of time 2. the conversations cost a lot of energy 3. the conversations bring negative energy. 4. the negative energy leads to uncertainty in the board and thus to uncertain (=bad) decisions.

The solution

In the coaching, we developed a concept for the CSO that enabled her to address the issue directly with the owner. Based on the 4-quadrant model, the following discussion guide was developed:

"Mr Maier, thank you for taking the time to talk to us. Thank you also for clearly stating your return to operational management in the meeting on Monday. We found that very positive. It is clear to me that you are naturally also under pressure due to the Corona crisis. At the same time, it makes me feel that you do not trust our decisions and believe that we are not managing well enough in the crisis. Clarity is important to me, so I'm asking you to tell me how you see us continuing to work together."

Responsiveness is not about the wording - that is adapted to the individual situation in each case. It is about formulating not only the concerns and a possible demand/resolution in a conversation. In addition to these two important aspects, it is also about clearly stating one's own feelings and needs. Out with the frustration and anger from the coffee kitchen - "into" the communication. It is about taking responsibility for one's own feelings and needs and clarifying them in a constructive conversation at eye level. This creates respect and brings clarity.