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As you may have read already in previous articles, I like to compare our worldly existence to a game; even the company represents a sophisticated game, in which we must know certain rules in order to succeed. We are active on a stage which allows us to adopt different roles that some of us have learned to perform to perfection.

What is less known is that besides the front stage, on which the game takes place, there is also a back stage, where alliances are made, rumors are spreading and secret decisions are taken. Our recent experience with Corona has shown us how important this back stage is to keep things running; we miss chatting with someone in a safe space without others to know about it, this still works best from person to person in a real, not virtual setting.

There are numerous situations in which the back stage is important; for sure it helps to balance out power relations, vent some emotions and anger towards your colleagues, express some hot information that is not meant for everyone, and also to prepare for action on the front stage. Back stage talk is also useful when it comes to testing some new job alternatives inside or outside the company that you don’t want your colleagues to know about. All this is the constructive side of the back stage. I’ve had to learn in my own operational career as a CEO that even a cigarette break is a kind of back stage meeting that is very useful, not a waste of time, if kept to reasonable proportions. By the way, the backstage is also the place where the coach works, supporting managers to do the right thing on their stages.

Backstage activities get more delicate when they are working against you. I have often seen shadow cabinets formed to challenge the leaders in power. Spreading negative, toxic information can infect others and lead to destabilizing the entire team, undermining your authority as the leader on the front stage. When this is happening in your environment, you have to confront the situation in a larger group to get it under control; it may even take some harsh words to bring discipline back to the team. Sometimes it is your job to find out who the main spreader of toxic information is – in most cases it’s the secret shadow cabinet leader – and have a talk with him her. Be aware that the discussion may not be enough and you may also be forced to take drastic measures of clearance. If you intervene too late it can cost you your job, especially when pressure is built up against you involving the international head office.

As in every theatre of our life, at home, with friends or at work, back and front stage belong together. We cannot do without them. Imagine, how often you hide the truth from your children or parents in order not to shock them. Even in an intimate relationship we often have secrets we don’t want to share fully.

We have not yet created a world where there is total openness, total truth, total understanding, without any ego or manipulation. Instead of fighting the back stage, use it in the right and healthy way. If you are a CEO or a leading figure in the company, you need both levels to function and you are the key person to run the whole show. Make sure you have good allies to inform you when back stage activities turn nasty.

Dr. Michael Schroeder

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