Get assertive!

Welcome to instalment 6 of the ‘Countdown to Christmas’ blog series “What separates good/bad strategy and culture’.

Today’s blog will explore Good vs Bad culture in relation to assertiveness.?

?Good cultures have each other’s backs and have respectfully honest conversations in pursuit of accountability and the truth.?Bad cultures are either too passive or aggressive.

You can map any culture on the ‘passive-assertive-aggressive’ continuum.?Some cultures are very task-driven to the point that relationships don’t matter and tasks must be achieved no matter the cost (leads to aggressive behaviours).?On the other hand relationship-driven cultures prioritise relationships above business outcomes and avoid difficult conversations to protect people’s feelings (leads to passive behaviours).

Good cultures get the balance right and put relationships and business outcomes on the same level.?Good cultures have the difficult conversations respectfully.?There is a willingness to challenge….challenge each other and challenge the status quo.

What is the difference between challenge and an attack??This line can get blurred.?I would suggest that the difference is intent.?If the intent is to HELP the person and to HELP the Business, it brings a more creative energy.??Good cultures tend to challenge each other because their intent is to help, to broaden thinking, to improve decisions, to get to the truth of what’s really going on. Bad culture tends to go either passive, aggressive, or mix passive and aggressive.?The passive-aggressive culture is perhaps the most dangerous of all and involves backhand compliments, fake politeness and deliberate undermining.

If your culture is missing the mark, the first step may involve looking at your own contribution and what you can do within your zone of influence to shift the energy around you.?? Good culture involves a healthy balance between challenge and support so start with finding your balance.??

One of my personal heroes in the sporting world is Jurgen Klopp, manager of the Liverpool football (soccer) club in England.?When you see Jurgen on the sidelines during a match, he is not backwards in coming forwards and openly challenges players if he is not happy.?After the match you will often see him hug his players.

Everyone has their own way of expressing this balance, the question is what is your authentic way? If you are not sure, reflect on the moments you got the balance right.?There will be patterns.?Think about what mindset you were in, the energy you brought, where you focused the conversation and where you didn’t focus the conversation.