If you are a boss and you’re wondering why your staff doesn’t step up to difficult conversations or tell you “the truth,” you might want o consider what you are doing to contribute to this situation. Consider how well you do the following:

1. Invite and welcome different opinions: Do you ask people for their opinions? Do you incorporate their thoughts into your own thinking? How visible is your acceptance of their opinions? Asking for different opinions invites others to speak, but what they will really remember is how you reacted to the information. If you regularly ask for and react well to input, people will keep giving it to you.
2. Put the truth on the table: Do you name the elephants in the room? Are you able to dialogue about the tough issues? If you openly acknowledge difficult subjects and encourage dialogue people will see you as someone who can handle the truth.
3. Distinguish “gripes” from legitimate concerns: Many managers get tired of people complaining and start sending out massages to their staffs not to come to them with complaints or problems. A good manager can help employees distinguish what is important and how to communicate that information.
4. Make problem solving visible: How do you let people know that you have attended to their concerns? How clear are you with what you can resolve and what you can’t resolve? Sometimes people need to know that you heard them but that the problem can’t be solved by you or at this time. If you can address a problem or issue, let people know it can be addressed, and how and when you will deal with it. If you can’t solve the problem, tell them why it can’t be addressed. Some information is better than no information. Great managers make problem-solving efforts visible and use them as good teaching opportunities.
5. Teach people how to approach you: Have you ever talked to your staff about how to approach you? Is there a good time to get you? Do you like things in writing first? Do you have an open-door policy? Do you prefer appointments? Don’t expect your employees to figure you out. Help them. A great manager is a good teacher. Let people know the best way to convey tough news to you.

It’s not always about how a message is delivered but about how it is received. The more you, as a manager, practice modeling being a good “receiver” of news, the more likely people will share information with you