The higher someone rises in an organisation, the less honest feedback they receive. On its way to the top, criticism gets worn down until nothing but agreement remains. Every year, I notice this at the start of carnival season. In Germany, it officially begins on 11 November at 11:11, and for a few months the jesters are once again allowed to say what nobody else dares to. And every time, I think of an assignment that still stays with me today.
The CFO With the Purple Tie
The request came from the head of HR at a large company. An engineer with a doctorate, promoted from within, was about to join the board and take charge of finance. His first major test was already scheduled: presenting the quarterly results to the press. Public speaking and presenting, however, were not among his strengths.
Only at the end of the conversation did the real concern come up. The new CFO, I was told, liked colourful suits, a purple tie and cheap shoes. Internally, nobody wanted to tell him. Perhaps I could raise it during the training?
I agreed, and at the same time I was puzzled. A company entrusts this man with the finances of an entire group, yet nobody dares to say a word about his tie.
Still, I felt a little uneasy before the session. After all, clothing is something very personal. The training itself focused mainly on the press conference: structure, key messages and the Q&A with journalists. Only along the way did I turn to the overall impression that the media pay attention to. That includes well-kept shoes as much as a well-fitting suit in muted colours.
His reaction surprised me. Instead of being annoyed, he seemed relieved and asked why nobody had ever told him this before. In the end, he even asked for recommendations on where to get good advice.
What a Tie Reveals About Feedback Culture
An unsuitable tie does no harm. As an indicator, however, it works remarkably well. If a company needs an external trainer just to comment on someone’s wardrobe, an uncomfortable question arises: who then raises the things that really matter? For example, that a forecast is too optimistic, that figures from one division have been embellished, or that half the room could not follow a presentation.
From Court Jester to Staff Department
In the past, kings had a court jester for exactly this. He was allowed to do what would have cost anyone else the ruler’s favour: speak the truth bluntly. Today’s executives, by contrast, are surrounded by staff departments, consultants and communications teams. Yet very few have someone who gives them honest feedback without being asked.
If no one objects, even a purple tie goes unchallenged. A lack of honest feedback is a warning sign for corporate culture. Image: ChatGPT
How a Lack of Honest Feedback Distorts the Picture
The result is a picture of the situation that looks coherent and is nevertheless wrong. At every level of the hierarchy, a small piece of unpleasantness disappears, until a smoothed-over version arrives at the top. Nobody has deliberately lied. Even so, decisions end up resting on a reality that does not exist. The same applies, incidentally, to near misses in IT security that nobody reports.
Disinformation is often seen as a threat from outside. The most dangerous kind, however, develops within the organisation itself, precisely because it is so comfortable.
Admittedly, as an external consultant, it is easy for me to be candid. I will not run into the CFO in the canteen the next morning, and my promotion does not depend on his approval.
Signs That Nobody Contradicts You Anymore
A lack of feedback is hard to notice, precisely because it is missing. Some signs, however, are typical:
- Meetings produce hardly any questions, even though the topic is complex.
- Bad news reaches you late or through detours.
- Your proposals are almost always adopted without changes.
- Outsiders tell you things that were never mentioned internally.
If more than one of these applies, it is rarely because everything is going perfectly.
A Jester’s Licence Is Not a Free Pass
The image of the court jester should not be misunderstood, though. It is not about everyone being allowed to say anything to anyone without a filter. Nor does a jester help if everyone just laughs at him. What matters, rather, is whether criticism in your organisation can find its way to the top without anyone risking their career for it.
Four Ways to Get More Honest Feedback
- Ask precise questions. “Do you have any feedback for me?” invites polite answers. “Which part of my presentation was too long?”, by contrast, gets real ones.
- Thank people publicly for disagreeing. Your team believes your words about openness less than what happens to the first person who is actually open.
- Find your own court jester. This can be someone inside or outside the organisation who expects nothing from you and still stays honest. What matters is that you explicitly give them this role.
- Take the self-test. Think of the last time someone told you an uncomfortable truth. If no example comes to mind, that is a warning sign, not a sign that you make no mistakes.
Carnival season has begun. Make sure that at least one jester is still knocking on your door after Ash Wednesday.
Media Training for Board Members and Senior Executives
Whether it is quarterly results, an annual general meeting or a crisis statement: in DIKT’s CEO media training, we prepare board members, supervisory board members and senior executives in one-to-one sessions for their appearances before the press and the public. That includes something often missing internally: honest feedback, regardless of hierarchy.
Dr. Nikolai A. Behr CSP® ist Keynote Speaker, Kommunikationsexperte und Medientrainer für Führung, Vertrauen und empathische Kommunikation in Zeiten von Wandel und KI.