I have a secret to share with you. At this very moment, there is a presence lurking that cannot be seen outwardly, but it is there, and it might be wreaking havoc in your life. I am referring to our inner judge. We all have it, and it has the power to create damage in our lives and those around us if we are allowing it to get out of hand. 

Imagine an organization with hundreds or thousands of employees and the cacophony of inner judges impacting the organization. What do you think the culture of this imaginary organization would feel like if the leadership allowed their teams to freely express judgment of themselves, others, and their circumstances? It would be mayhem. It would be a place full of complaints, criticism, and fear-based decisions. It would be the company from hell. Now imagine the opposite. A company that actively promotes a judgment-free zone and an environment of inclusion, support, and risk-taking.

Studies have shown that employees are more motivated, productive, and creative when they feel empowered to express themselves without being shut down. While the benefits of creating a judgment-free workplace might be obvious, knowing how to go about it when none of us are entirely free of judgment can be a difficult task. My recommendation is to teach your team the following skills:

1. Active listening is probably the most critical skill in communicating with one another. By paraphrasing, acknowledging, and clarifying what was being said without judgment, individuals are heard and their thoughts are validated. This increases their engagement.
2. Ask empowering questions that are open-ended, thought-provoking, and non-judgmental. You might be surprised by what you learn about each other and yourself. Details can be found in one of my previous blogs https://belladonnacareercoach.com/the-art-of-asking-empowering-questions/
3. Promote expressing emotions. There is still much judgment in organizations about what feelings are appropriate to express at work. It is most important to allow the entire spectrum of emotions, even the “darker” ones, like anger and frustration or sadness to be expressed. We are all human beings and we experience the entire spectrum of emotions. Being able to verbalize and process them increases our emotional intelligence and our ability to relate to others.
4. Establish a culture of feedback. Actively exchanging feedback avoids misunderstandings and removes blame when sharing observations. Feedback should not just go from managers to direct reports, it is most effective when everyone learns how to provide feedback to one another.
5. Brainstorm by utilizing the “yes -and-method”. This method tolerates the most outlandish ideas, regardless of their practicality by focusing on the part of an idea that you absolutely would like to incorporate in your solution, and then builds on it. If you are interested in more details, google the term.
6. Hire for diversity in thought. A common hiring mistake is to look for people like us. While the familiar might feel safe and more comfortable, it does nothing to expand the capacity of the team. People who think differently can accelerate finding the truth as opposed to our personal, subjective, and judgmental perspectives.
7. Show grace towards yourself and others. We are all trying to do our best at any given time. 

Establishing a judgment-free workplace takes time, especially because our inner judge can come into play when we are questioning if we are doing the right thing. After all, it took us a lifetime of feeding the inner judge. The lies it tells us comes from fear of the unknown or fear of inferiority. Even by practicing just one or two of the recommended skills above, you are taking steps toward reducing judgment in the workplace. We all benefit from that. 

If you are ready to work with a professional coach on reducing your inner judge and living a healthier, more productive, and happier life or if you need help in implementing these strategies with your team, contact me at angela@belladonnacareercoach.com.