Intrigued to learn more about the story of the news-leaking website WikiLeaks, I decided to watch the film The Fifth Estate. One line, in particular, stood out. Julian Assange's character said, "Give a man a mask and he will tell the truth."
And how true that is. But this made me wonder, “Why do so many people need a mask in order to speak up?” Especially, why do employees fail to speak up, even when it is in the best interest of the company to do so?
Andy Wiederhorn, Fatburger’s chief executive, experienced this first-hand.
He went undercover, feeling it was it was really important to take the temperature of his company and check what was really going on in the restaurants, both with the customers and with employees.
With the company’s rivals trying to catch up, he desired to have his finger on the pulse of the business.
Masking his identity and posing as Myron Leeds, a former estate agent trying to win a franchise, he discovered what others say when they have their masks on as well.
Mr Wiederhorn, as Myron Leeds, visited the Fatburger restaurant in Mesa, Arizona, and found that the franchise was a mess. Angelica, an assistant manager, showed him taps in the kitchen that couldn’t be turned off, and fryers that were not working.
To top it off, the franchise, which is part of a company that brings in US$100 million in revenue a year and is looking to expand to 200 more locations, had failed to pay its workers. “By the time we get our pay cheques, there’s no money in the bank,” Angelica told “Mr Leeds”.
While speaking during a break outside the franchise, Angelica also described in detail the problematic culture at her workplace. "The only time we see the owner is when something is broken," she told him. There was no positive reinforcement. The owner "doesn't come around see how we're doing". And then the ultimate blow in Angelica's list of grievances: "It's like I am working for you but why?"
When the undercover CEO asked Angelica, who had worked at Fatburger for two years and seven months, “Have you talked to him about this?” She bashfully said, “I could never do that.”
She explained: “That man signs my pay cheque, I’m not about to do that.” Yet, she was telling a complete stranger about her problems, because she felt safe.
This raises the question, what can you do to build an environment where your employees can speak up, without a mask. Angelica’s concerns needed attention for the sake of the business. Are you curious what your employees don’t or won’t tell you?
I’m not speaking of creating a safe place for whistle-blowing, rather a place where everyone can openly share about what will make the business better. And a culture where their voice is heard without a mask.
I recognise the challenge of this when many employees come from an environment where they don’t challenge upwardly, which seemed to be part of Angelica’s concern as well.
So, what do you do?
Begin by asking employees a very simple question: “What will make our business even better?” Then listen to what they have to say. When you listen, try not to be defensive, note down their ideas and definitely don’t apply retribution. Simply listen, hoping to discover how you can make the business better.
Mr Wiederhorn, for his part, seemed to take the criticism seriously. At the end of the show, he took the extraordinary step of inviting the franchise owner Marcus into a meeting with Angelica and him.
When the CEO confronted Marcus, without a mask, he didn’t put up a fight. “I don’t want to let you down anymore,” he told Angelica. After this meeting, Marcus acted to rectify Angelica’s concerns.
Create an environment where the mask is off and be surprised by how much better your business can become.
Tommy Weir is a leadership adviser, author of 10 Tips for Leading in the Middle East and other leadership writings and the founder of the Emerging Markets Leadership Center