\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nFor most people, innovation takes energy and courage\u2014the courage to be vulnerable, to risk rejection from peers, or invite uncertainty.<\/p>\n
Your people can only make that effort a limited number of times before they\u2019re done. The more courage they use to address injustice, toxic leadership, needless politics, or poor decision-making, the less effort they\u2019ll have to spend on what really matters.<\/p>\n
If it takes a heroic effort to fight against a caustic culture, you won\u2019t get any of the courage you need to serve your customer or build your business.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.4.6″ background_color=”#f7f7f4″ background_image=”https:\/\/www.careersingovernment.com\/tools\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/leadership.jpg” background_position=”top_left” custom_padding=”0px||0px|”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”1″ make_equal=”on” column_padding_mobile=”on” module_class=” et_pb_row_fullwidth” _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”100%” width_tablet=”100%” width_phone=”” width_last_edited=”on|desktop” max_width=”100%” max_width_tablet=”100%” max_width_phone=”” max_width_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_padding=”0px||0px|” make_fullwidth=”on” custom_width_px=”680px”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”3.25″ background_color=”#efefe9″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.careersingovernment.com\/tools\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/cultivate3.jpg” title_text=”cultivate3″ show_bottom_space=”off” align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”4.4.6″ animation_direction=”off” animation=”off”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text disabled_on=”off|off|” _builder_version=”4.4.6″ text_font=”PT Serif||||” text_text_color=”#818178″ text_font_size=”24″ text_line_height=”1.4em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” text_orientation=”center” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”20%|10%||10%” custom_margin_tablet=”|10%||10%” custom_margin_phone=”” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|desktop” text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone”]<\/p>\n
For most people, innovation takes energy and courage\u2014the courage to be vulnerable, to risk rejection from peers, or invite uncertainty.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″ text_font=”PT Sans|on|||” text_text_color=”#888888″ text_font_size=”12″ text_letter_spacing=”2px” text_line_height=”1.2em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” text_orientation=”center” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”20px||20%|” custom_margin_tablet=”20px|||” custom_margin_phone=”” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|tablet”]KARIN HURT & DAVID DYE[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″ custom_margin=”-6px|||||” custom_padding=”0px||0px|”][et_pb_row use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”4″ column_padding_mobile=”on” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|tablet” admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” max_width=”1200px” custom_margin=”-3px|auto||auto||” custom_padding=”20px||0px|” custom_padding_tablet=”0px|||” custom_padding_phone=”” use_custom_width=”on” custom_width_px=”1200px”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.6″ text_font=”PT Serif||||” text_text_color=”#363636″ text_font_size=”20″ text_line_height=”1.4em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_margin=”60px||0px|” custom_margin_tablet=”40px||0px|” custom_margin_phone=”” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|tablet” hover_enabled=”0″ text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|tablet”]<\/p>\n
The Big Three Toxic Behaviors<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nThe three most toxic behaviors we hear being tolerated (and even rewarded) are shaming, blaming, and intimidation. It\u2019s the chief administrator who projects a list of all her senior leaders in stack-ranked order on the screen and then works her way through the list from the bottom up, sarcastically criticizing them in front of their peers and forcing them to respond, while all their peers laugh nervously while silently praying they\u2019ll be spared next time.<\/p>\n
Or the elected official who berates his direct reports for a strategic choice \u201cthey made\u201d that didn\u2019t pan out, even though he was the one who made the final call despite the team\u2019s concerns and objections.<\/p>\n
Or the manager who insists all requests flow through her, but she\u2019s three weeks behind on her email, who blows a gasket when her direct report responds with his ideas just to keep things moving.<\/p>\n
Shame, blame, and intimidation has no place in a Courageous Culture\u2014and yet you might be surprised how frequently we encounter these counter-productive activities, even in organizations that invest in resources and systems to foster courage and innovation. Don\u2019t let one or two bullies undermine your culture.<\/p>\n
Start By Asking Yourself a Few Courageous Questions
<\/strong><\/p>\nIf you are interested in building a culture where employees feel safe to speak up and share ideas we encourage you and your team to discuss these questions:<\/p>\n
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