Success is yours. Failure is mine: The Secrets of Thriving Work Environment?

Sergeant First Class Leroy Petry a retired U.S. Army soldier, received the Medal of Honor for his actions during combat in Afghanistan in 2008. Despite being wounded, he saved the lives of fellow soldiers by picking up a live enemy grenade and throwing it away, sacrificing his hand in the process.

Sergeant First Class Leroy Petry's actions were not the result of orders or obligations but rather a profound sense of duty and love for his comrades.

The question arises

Was he told or ordered to sacrifice himself? No! Was he obligated to do that? Probably no. He was not even the leader there, then why did he do that?

Despite not being the main leader, he willingly put himself in harm's way to protect his fellow soldiers. This level of selflessness and sacrifice arises from a deep well of emotion and a unique perspective on service.

He is an excellent example of

"Boss may be one, but a leader can be anyone" - Ameya Agrawal

So are leaders born or made?

As Prof. Anupam Das said, leaders are made provided they are born

To make great leaders, it takes a great leader. A leader who transforms ordinary people with a flourishing environment.

Through our screening process in corporates, we may hire the best among the best people, but does that guarantee that the organizations will succeed? If that had been the case, any organization with the ability to hire great talent would have succeeded.

But as per Lewin's book, Principles of Topological Psychology, published in 1936, a formula states that behavior is a function of the person and their environment.

B=f(P,E)

In essence, the capacity for extraordinary acts lies within all of us. By cultivating the right environment—a culture of trust, cooperation, and shared purpose—we can unlock the potential for remarkable achievements in ourselves and others.

Imagine you travel back 5000 years back in time. While strolling the beautiful land, you get attacked by a sabertooth and fracture your bone. Will you survive?

Margaret Mead once shared a revelation about development of human civilization that transcended material possessions. She spoke of a fractured thighbone, a remnant from a time long gone, yet its significance surpassed any physical artifact. Mead explained that in the animal kingdom, a broken leg spells certain doom. No creature endures a broken leg long enough for the bone to heal, as they become vulnerable prey unable to flee, find water, or hunt for sustenance.

However, within our human evolution, there emerged a unique phenomenon—a healed broken femur, a testament to compassion and civilization. Mead illuminated the profound meaning behind this seemingly simple occurrence. It symbolized that someone, in a time of crisis, chose not to abandon the fallen but instead stayed by their side. They bound the wound, carried the injured to safety, and tended to their recovery. In this act of selflessness, the foundation of civilization was laid bare.

Now, let us imagine a workplace where leaders prioritize the well-being and growth of their employees. When someone stumbles, be it personally or professionally, these leaders stand steadfast, offering a helping hand and fostering an environment where healing and growth can thrive.

The concept of trust and safety that has helped humanity thrive and made military organizations one of the most effective ones in the world is ignored in today's world.

In corporate culture, we see people fighting against each other to climb to the top ignoring the fact that similar to the sabertooth or wolves in those days today, we are endangered by uncertainties of natural calamities, changing markets, and stock prices.

Instead of feeling safe because of each other feel threatened by each other and our jobs. We feel threatened that our boss might fire us if we make one mistake.

This is very aptly described by the organizational behavioral scientist Amy Edmondson of Harvard, who first introduced the construct of?“team psychological safety”.

Psychological safety is the belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes. In teams, it refers to team members believing they can take risks without being shamed by other team members.

For example, Amazon encourages innovation through its "Day One" philosophy, which fosters a startup mentality within the company. They value experimentation and encourage employees to take risks to drive continuous improvement and customer-centric innovation. The successful outcomes include the Kindle e-reader, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and the voice-activated assistant, Alexa.

Of course, these theories are contextual and cannot be applied to experimenting with chemicals in a lab, working on explosives, or launching a spacecraft. Here failures can be fatal, but that doesn't discount the fact and underline the concept that expressing thoughts and opinions should still be encouraged.

I tried to follow the same culture while working at MGSS - Mahatma Gandhi Seva Sangh because my mentor, Mr. Vijay Kanhekar, raised me the same way. He gave me opportunities but with opportunities; he gave me the creative freedom and freedom to fail.

He celebrated and appreciated when I succeeded, but when I failed, he stood before me to take it upon himself.

This made me loyal to not only him but the organization. He never said it is your mistake; you correct it. He said

"I am with you; let's face it together"

This encouraged me to work odd hours, on holidays, and beyond my call of duty. This was not because I was obliged to or was paid for, but because I felt a part of me is there in the organization and my leader mentor.

It was because of this I was able to implement novel concepts, working culture, and processes in the organization that led to an increase in overall efficiency and undertake large-scale projects to impact more than 2 Million people across districts in Maharashtra and implement projects that would change the way policies are made for persons with disabilities and eventually earning Two National Awards at the Hands of Hon'ble President of India for our work in Dec'22.

He indeed followed the true leadership principle.

Success is yours, failure is mine

Following his footsteps, I encouraged my team to grasp opportunities proactively, and when they said that they felt they needed more skill to do it, I encouraged them to at least try, take ownership, and not be scared of getting it wrong.

But what if your team members fail? How do you treat them?

Could you take a look at this video and see if you can notice it?

In the scene featuring Hrithik Roshan's character, his overconfidence or lack of focus causes him to fail in completing a task, resulting in him falling into the water. The leader, donning a military uniform, promptly points out Hrithik's mistake and administers appropriate punishment, adhering to military standards. However, what stands out in this situation is that despite the punishment, the leader remains by Hrithik's side throughout the entire duration. This act strengthens the bond and trust between the leader and the team, instilling a sense of confidence and dedication towards their shared purpose. The chosen punishment of crawling through a trench serves a purpose beyond mere retribution. It is a lesson in humility.

By staying with Hrithik, the leader sends a powerful message of support and solidarity. It shows that the leader is not just interested in disciplining or reprimanding, but also in guiding and developing Hrithik as a team member. The leader understands the importance of being present during both the highs and lows of their team's journey.

The leader's decision to remain by Hrithik's side during the punishment instills a sense of trust and respect within the team. It reinforces the notion that leadership is not just about enforcing rules and punishments but also about providing guidance and support when it is most needed.?

Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs suggests that individuals must first satisfy their basic physiological and safety needs before progressing to higher-level needs such as love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization.

Considering Maslow's hierarchy, it can be argued that individuals who have already fulfilled their basic needs may exhibit greater motivation and focus on self-actualization, personal growth, and unlocking their full potential. Empowered by a sense of security and stability, they can channel their energy towards pursuing creative and intellectual endeavors, leading to remarkable achievements.

Conversely, individuals grappling with unmet physiological or safety needs may encounter distractions and challenges that hinder their performance. The weight of unfulfilled needs can be overwhelming, diverting their attention and sapping their energy from other areas of life, including their work or personal goals. Such individuals may struggle to unleash their true potential and find it challenging to thrive in their chosen endeavors.

In the current landscape, where competition is fierce and personal safety concerns prevail, it is not uncommon to witness a growing focus on individual self-preservation rather than collective well-being. This climate of criticism and fear-induced behavior triggers a heightened sense of insecurity, compelling individuals to adopt preventive measures.

However, this self-preservation mindset often leads to the practice of impression management, where individuals continuously strive to maintain a fa?ade, gradually losing touch with their true selves.

Even those who may have earlier crossed the first two levels of Maslow hierarchy find themselves showed to the bottom of the pyramid when in a workplace that lacks trust and belongingness.

To shield themselves from premature judgment, individuals tend to wear masks, hindering authentic connections and impeding the cultivation of psychological safety.

The reason some people put on a?mask?is not of their incompetency or nature, but it is in their fear that we judge them too soon. - Ameya Agrawal

The constant need for impression management arises as what I call CCE Continuous Conscious Effort to create a favorable perception, sacrificing one's true self in the process. It is a defense mechanism driven by the belief that vulnerability may lead to rejection or disadvantage in this cutthroat environment.

No one wakes up with a motive that let's get misunderstood today, lets take some criticism. But in a world where these things are a part of life and are looked upon poorly, creates stress on individuals.

And if something creates stress, individuals prefer to stay away from it. Now in such cases, your team members of employees, instead of being excited about gaining knowledge, increasing competencies, being open about ideas, or expressing positive emotions, starts to fear being ignorant, incompetent, intrusive, and negative.

As fear overpowers the excitement to excel, managing fear feels easier than to put in efforts for self-improvement. So people choose the easy way out.

1. People stop asking questions not to appear ignorant
2. They don't admit mistakes or weaknesses not to appear incompetent
3. They don't offer ideas not to appear intrusive
4. Unwillingly accept the status quo to not appear negative.

And in such an environment, we experience incidents like

1. During a medical emergency in a hospital, a nurse who notices that a doctor is about to administer the wrong medication to a patient, despite knowing the potential mistake, hesitates to intervene due to the fear of being seen as insubordinate or causing conflict with the doctor
2. Within a team of software developers, one member identifies a critical bug in a software release just before a deadline. Despite understanding the potential impact on users, developer remains silent because they fear blame, negative consequences, or damaging their professional reputation.

These settings are harmful not only for the individual but for the organization as a whole.

The same concept applies in a classroom setting. Imagine you engage in class discussion but are constantly silenced by a professor for raising your point or mocked by your classmate? You will probably never speak up again in life. That is why a healthy, safe environment is a must.

As a center of development for future leaders, the culture at IIMK PGP-Business Leadership , Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode encourages class participation. Professors provide the utmost flexibility to extend views as they know that this is the sandbox where we students can fail safely and learn.

In Conclusion, Fostering a safe working environment requires leaders to prioritize open communication, active listening, and empathy.

Leaders create an atmosphere of trust and collaboration by encouraging employees to ask questions, share feedback, report mistakes, address concerns, seek growth opportunities, discuss work-life balance, and request support.

This environment empowers employees to contribute their best, leading to enhanced engagement, productivity, and overall success for the team and the organization as a whole.

We will take a look at what and how to build a psychologically safe working environment in the next article.

#WorkplaceExcellence #PsychologicalSafety #Empathy #LeadershipCulture #EmployeeExperience #OptimalWorkEnvironment #UnlockingSuccess #ThriveAtWork #HumanResourceManagement

Taking this opportunity, I would like to thank all our professors who have enabled us to be confident to speak up, express our self and learn without hesitation.

Prof. Anupam Das , Prof. Keyoor Purani , Prof. Shubhasis Dey , Prof. Jijo Lukose P.J. , Prof. Qambar Abidi , Prof. Anandakuttan B Unnithan , Prof. Prof. (Dr.) Roopak gupta , Prof. Arqum Mateen , Prof. Shannu Narayan , Prof. Surya Prakash Pati , Prof. Aswin Alora , Prof. Rudra Sensarma?

Reference:

Concept based on Articles by Simon Sinek, Amy Edmondson