The risk of instilling fear in your team
Several years ago I consulted with a faith-based social service charity. They were going through some difficult changes, and I was there to help them focus their development efforts. Within 10 minutes of the start of our meeting, I could tell that their only problem wasn't just that their efforts were scattered. Their real problem was much bigger.
As I interviewed each person on the development staff -- from the part-time person who processed gifts during periods of heavy response all the way up to their Chief Development Officer -- what I found was a palpable fear across the organization. They were terrified of their CEO. He was an aggressive bully who needed to be right about everything. If something wasn't his idea it was doomed to fail -- others' ideas met with so much resistance from the CEO that they could never get off the ground. If you were on staff and you tried something new or different, it had better work. If not, you were chastised publicly and told that you were wasting precious organizational resources. This resulted in an atmosphere of fear and hesitation. Nobody took risks. The organization and the people in it weren't growing. Everyone hesitated to act until the CEO had given direction. This was a daily occurrence.
Creating or allowing a culture of fear to persist in an organization will do significant damage. Think about the last time you interacted with someone and it truly made you fearful.
You probably froze initially, unsure how to respond. Maybe you even thought about the interaction the rest of that day. If you're honest, you'll likely say that you went about your day, but that interaction kept coming back to you throughout the day, distracting you from other priorities. If it was significant enough, maybe it permeated your evening or weekend as well.
Now think about experiencing that every day when you go to work. It could devastate your organizational culture and potential for success.
Here are five reasons to instead cultivate a culture of risk-taking in your organization:
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To create a culture where people aren't afraid to fail, the first step of the leader is to communicate the organization's tolerance for this type of smart risk-taking. Next, and more importantly, that tolerance for failure and risk-taking must be demonstrated. When employees try a new idea and aren't instantly successful, commend the initiative, praise what went well and help them pivot to the next smart idea based on what they've learned.
Don't focus on the failure. Learn from the failure. Document what went well and what didn't go so well. Then move on more fully informed and test something new. Don't condemn the person who tested and failed. Celebrate them, and engage them in future innovation.
This is excerpted from my book, 101 Biggest Mistakes Nonprofits Make And How You Can Avoid Them.
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2 年I have worked under a number of leaders - men and women - whose style instilled a level of fear that became the main driver of all decisions: how to keep the job at all costs. Have a creative, new or out-of-the-box concept? Stifle it and do your job. Some thought bullying, yelling, demeaning and worse was acceptable. Early on I had a terrific boss (thank you, Jack), then a few who were the opposite. When I began some "work on myself" I saw patterns of my own behavior that accepted unacceptable behavior and began to learn how to truly respect myself and others in authority. I had choices, I had a voice, I had a God on my side. I stayed in some situations for years and learned important lessons, many in hindsight. I began to see options and discovered my mental and physical health were worth more than the paycheck. I say this as a single woman who has no one else paying my bills who has left untenable situations -- and then doors of opportunity opened. Fear drove so much of my life, I fight against it: with faith in a better today, and tomorrow.
Fundraising and Marketing Professional for Nonprofits
2 年Sometimes the employee's idea is a good one but failed in practice due to one correctable element. Rather than pivot to the next idea simply praise the good idea and have the employee/team tweak it for another valiant attempt. That's how great innovations are made. Contrary to your experience with the one client, Andrew, I served a large international Christ-centered nonprofit for five years. In that time I was allowed to pursue breakthrough ideas that continue to raise millions of new dollars each year for the ministry. I have worked under terrible bullies. One such bully used formal reprimands that would go in your employee file as a weapon for privately and respectfully correcting the boss on their ideas and decisions being made. Never refusing to carry out the orders...just suggesting what were believed to be better ways for moving forward, the reprimands would accuse employees of "insubordination." This bully even struck fear in the consultants hired, who quickly became "yes men" for the boss.
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2 年Very very true!
Fundraising and Marketing Professional/Nonprofit CEO
2 年So Andrew, as a consultant to the nonprofit, what did you say to it's CEO about the behavior? I realize that your post is directed toward top leaders, but leaders who believe they are never wrong likely won't change. What can the worker bees do to facilitate change in bad leaders? In other words getting them replaced?