Friday Forward - They Say

What if a company did everything within its power to create the conditions for individuals to overcome their own internal barriers to change, to take stock of and transcend their own blind spots, and to see errors and weaknesses as prime opportunities for personal growth? What would it look like to “do work” in a way that enabled organizations and

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I had a client that used the word "exposed" a lot and in a negative way. They wanted to make sure no one felt "exposed." This reluctant exposure is a symptom of low trust and vulnerability and high levels of judgment. They are doomed to mediocrity because they infantalized their employees and no one will risk a new idea. The key

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Encouraging people to speak up, or even "empowering" them with statements like "don't hesitate to change course" in an environment of top-down decision-making, simply does not work.

Leaders say these things to assuage their conscience. When things go wrong, they can blame others for not speaking up despite the leader's encouragem

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When people aren’t doing what you think they should be doing, look at yourself first. How can you better communicate to them what they should be doing so they can understand and execute?

If you’re feeling micromanaged by your boss or senior leaders, instead of getting frustrated with them, take ownership. Push more information up the chain of comman... See more

Here are the ten behaviors and cultural issues that leaders identified as getting in our way in organizations across the world: We avoid tough conversations, including giving honest, productive feedback. Some leaders attributed this to a lack of courage, others to a lack of skills, and, shockingly, more than half talked about a cultural norm of “ni

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