Coming Soon To Your Workplace - Yelling At The Boss (As Seen On National TV)?

Bosses of the world – brace yourselves.? A new era in workplace feedback practices might be here and you might not be ready for it.

You know what I’m talking about. ?A new workplace dynamic was unveiled in front of an estimated 123 million viewers at the recent 2024 Super Bowl.? While the big game has always been known for its high-profile commercials and musical halftime show, this year a new feature was apparently added:? a demonstration of what might be the Next Big Thing in the workplace – an employee giving the boss high volume, in-your-face feedback in a very public way.?

For those readers who might have spent the last week in a cave, here’s what happened:? In the first half of the game, star player and Taylor Swift main squeeze Travis Kelce not only hollered at his head coach Andy Reid in a fit of anger, he also bumped into him.? Why?? Because he disagreed with the coach’s playcalling.?

Yup - he disagreed with a decision the boss had made so he provided him with some, um, “feedback.”? Not over a friendly cup of coffee in the boss’s office, not in a delicately worded email.? No, he yelled at him on the world’s biggest stage.?

After the game, Kelce apologized for the incident, and both player and coach chalked the encounter up to high passion and the high stakes of the game.? But forgiveness comes easier in the shadow of victory.? I wonder if there would have been as many bro-hugs and air kisses if the Chiefs had lost.

In any event, we’ve come a long way, baby!?

Up until about the 1990s, it was bosses who would often yell at their employees when they made a mistake or crossed the boss in some way to earn a “verbal reprimand,” in those days more commonly called an “ass chewing.” ?The pecking order was clear, and in many my-way-or-the-highway workplaces, some bosses chose to make their displeasure known in a most stentorian way.?

Many of us who worked in that era saw and heard dressings-down like that and some of us might have even been on the receiving end as well.? That element of feedback (AKA ass chewing) was one-directional – the boss gave it.? The employee received it. ?It would be a stretch to call it a conversation.? ???

Then the rules of engagement and communication practices at work gradually began to change.? The era of “enlightened management” was ushered in (not THAT Usher).? ?Emotional intelligence.? Skip level meetings.? 360 feedback sessions.? Those and similar approaches became the new best practices.? The boss yelling at the hired help became much more unacceptable, déclassé.?

In that “modern” management approach, the boss seeks out feedback from his/her team members and it’s provided in a safe, respectful, and hopefully candid manner.? Maybe even with a consultant (full disclosure – I was once one of those…).?? It’s seen as an opportunity for the boss to get to know thyself better, and to become a better leader as a result of new insights into how he/she is seen by the troops.?

But has the power nexus shifted further so that employees can now feel more emboldened to let the boss know when he/she is seen as coming up short on some issue?? And if the answer to that is yes:

• Will we see more Travis Kelce-style outbursts on the shop floor or in the office with the vocal employee not immediately joining the ranks of the unemployed??
• Are we witnessing a new paradigm of workplace dynamics, of boldness, of employee empowerment?? Or would it be just another example of the encroaching incivility we seem to be experiencing everywhere else?
• If some upward feedback is good, is more and louder feedback better still?? ?

There was admittedly some tongue-in-cheek sprinkled here and there in this commentary piece, but with the shifting sands of the workplace social contract and the push-pull conflicts of remote work vs. in-office work, I don’t think we can rule out at least modest movement toward more unvarnished upward feedback when it’s delivered appropriately.?

“Appropriately,” meaning as a rare exception in volatile situations.? And not at Volume 11.? And not on national TV.? And certainly not in a demeaning way.? ??

Come to think of it, those are pretty reasonable guidelines and guardrails for bosses giving feedback as well.? After all, demonstrating respect might be considered old school but it is never out of style.? ?

About the author: Mike Hoban is a business topics writer and former leadership coach/advisor. He is actively working at becoming a world-class grandpa to his six young granddaughters. In addition to his 40+ years experience as a leader, consultant, and business owner he has also published extensively in Fast Company and wrote many thought leadership pieces for DDI when he was there. He also wrote a business column for 12 years. His recent commentaries can be found on his LinkedIn page: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/mike-hoban-b5756b6/ He can also be reached at [email protected].???