Coaching Tip:

To rebuild employee morale, replace cynicism with skepticism.

Root Causes
Cynicism is the by-product of failed promises, policies & performance. --Joseph N. Cappella & Kathleen Hall Jamieson Spiral of Cynicism: The Press & The Public Good

Turning Cynicism into Skepticism

In our efforts to try to rebuild morale in our organizations, we often set our sights on the wrong goal. We envision that we can turn cynicism into enthusiasm. So we put a lot of energy and resources into well-meaning but ineffectual motivational programs. We would be better served by redirecting our efforts to cultivate a culture in which skepticism is openly encouraged and rewarded. Skepticism not only weeds out cynicism at its very roots; it also represents an organizational competency that is absolutely essential for success in today’s complex and chaotic business environment.

Cynicism can be defined as a fault-finding criticism that assumes all human behavior is motivated solely by self-interest. The problem with cynicism is that it is too simplistic. Today’s business environment requires that we go beyond simple explanations, to look beneath the surface.

Skeptics are not willing to be quite so gullible. They ask questions in order to get to the bottom of things. Like a curious student who tears an engine apart to understand how it works, skepticism explores the complexities of every issue.

Tom Friedman of the New York Times has compared cynicism to skepticism in this way: Cynicism is about having the answers – or thinking that you do. Skepticism is about asking questions. The cynic says, “I know that’s not true. It couldn’t be.” (And then lashes out.) The skeptic says, “I don’t think that’s true. I’m going to check it out.”

How can we cultivate skepticism within an environment plagued by cynicism?

• Model and reward curiosity and learning. Begin meetings with the catch phrase: “I am here to learn. I hope you are too.”
  
• Expose incidents which reflect cynical thinking in the moment and clarify what skepticism would look like as an alternative. “I get the feeling, Joe, that you’ve already made up your mind about this issue. We can’t afford that kind of attitude on our team. Please go do some additional research and come back to me with at least three other possible explanations for what has happened.”
  
• Encourage employees to ask you tough questions. Make the invitation to expose flaws in your ideas and plans explicit. “Christine, I need you to give this proposal a critical eye. Please ask me some difficult questions. I need to know what I’m missing.”
  

There are no magic bullets to rebuild trust and employee morale. But if you make it your goal to teach, model and reward skeptical thinking within your organization, the energy that is fueling cynicism will gradually dissipate.

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