A recent Harvard Business Review article highlighted the importance of creating a safe space in meetings where participants feel free to speak candidly. To facilitate this, a manager in a manufacturing company would take his team out for pizza, then hold a 'no secrets' meeting, where everyone was explicitly given permission to say or ask anything. The manager used these meetings to learn how the team was really doing, how projects were progressing, and what the team needed in terms of support.

The manager used three broad questions to help guide the conversation:  

      1. What do you think I need to know?
      2. Where are you struggling?
      3. What are you proud of?

There was never any pressure to have a perfect answer - the only requirement was to be honest and sincere. And it helped greatly that the manager was known as a caring, thoughtful, and authentic leader.

Now you might be thinking, "Shouldn't every meeting be a 'no secrets' meeting?" And my response would be, "Well, heck, yeah!"  In an ideal world I suppose every meeting would be a 'no secrets' meeting.

But don't discount the power of holding special offsite meetings, in a relaxed environment, where the stage is intentionally set for people to feel completely safe to be open and honest.