“In reality, there are very few villains who
view themselves as villains. They just have a certain agenda at a certain
time.” —Michael Jai White
Hidden
agendas make it impossible to unite your team and achieve shared success. They
destroy trust and eliminate any hope for transparency. When hidden agendas are
in play in your organization, your team is divided and it is every man for
himself. When leaders and employees have their own agenda, they are looking out
for their own best interest and not the interest of the whole. Here’s how.
Hidden agendas reveal motives
When you, as
a leader, have a hidden agenda employees will begin to perceive you as devious.
They will start to question your motives, words, and actions. Soon you lose
their trust. Without trust, you lose your ability to influence others.
Hidden agendas are self-serving
When
employees operate based on hidden agendas, they are working toward their own
goals and what will benefit them the most. In order for an organization to be
successful, every participant must be working toward the same goal.
Hidden agendas jeopardize morale
Hidden
agendas are perhaps the single greatest morale buster within your organization.
They conceal true motives and are in many ways deceiving. Once exposed it can
leave your team feeling demoralized and betrayed. When morale has been
compromised your effectiveness will suffer.
Hidden agendas endanger your
company’s future
We can’t
state it emphatically enough – hidden agendas on many fronts are a threat that
reaches beyond the scope of your internal structure. Unfortunately, identifying
hidden agendas can be difficult. Addressing them in time can be a real
challenge for you as a leader. Here are a few questions that can help shed some
light on hidden agendas and help you as a leader before it is too late.
Are we driven by our values or by our
profits?
When you and
your people are driven by values rather than by profits then hidden agendas
become less important. When the driving force behind your organization is to
put people over profits, honesty above cutting corners, and integrity over
deception then the profits will follow.
Does our communication foster
accountability and growth?
Open
communication is the life-blood of a sound organizational structure. But it
must go beyond that by holding people accountable for what they say and do.
When the lines of communication are flowing and everyone’s voice is being heard
then hidden agendas are more readily identified and confronted.
Are we building strong relationships
within our teams?
We
accomplish nothing alone. We need the collaboration and participation of every
member of the team. In order to be successful, we must build strong
relationships within our teams. And, relationships are based on trust; there
can be no trust when hidden agendas are in play.
Are we working toward shared goals?
If we are
not working together toward shared goals, each member of your team will be
working toward their own goals. This is where hidden agendas take form. Each
team member focuses their energies on doing and getting whatever they need to
be successful regardless of how it will affect the success of the team as a
whole.
None of us
set out to intentionally undermine the success of our organization but, this is
exactly what happens when hidden agendas are at work. Our motives become
questionable. Our actions become self-serving. We jeopardize morale. And, we
end up endangering the future of our company.
Our
objective here is to not only raise awareness to the pitfalls of hidden agendas
but to show a better way. The strength of your organization is found in its
people working together toward shared goals and values. When hidden agendas are
put to rest then the team can move forward together.
© 2016 Doug
Dickerson and Elizabeth Stincelli
Elizabeth
Stincelli is passionate about recognizing and inspiring the leader in each of
us. She is the CEO of Stincelli Advisors where she focuses on helping
organizations engage employees and improve organizational culture. Elizabeth
holds a Doctor of Management degree with an emphasis on organizational
leadership.
Learn more
about Elizabeth by visiting her website, stincelliadvisors.com and connect with
her on Twitter @infinitestin, Google+, and LinkedIn. You can contact her by
email at stincelliadvisors@gmail.com.
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