We often hear that feedback is a gift. I think that idea can become dangerous when it quietly turns into: “If someone gives you feedback, you should accept it, however they choose to deliver it.” That is where I think psychological safety can begin to unravel. Feedback contains at least two separate things: Content — what the person is actually saying Delivery — how they choose to say it.
Does Leadership Need to Create or Model Workplace Culture?
A standard definition of workplace culture is: Workplace culture is the shared assumptions, values, norms, beliefs, practices and patterns of behaviour that shape how people in an organisation think, interact and make decisions. Most culture frameworks then place leadership at the centre. Leaders are expected to model the desired behaviour, set the tone, correct others and somehow embody the culture. I’m increasingly unconvinced by that model, particularly the weakness of a system that relies so heavily on a relatively small number of individuals.
I Disagree With Conflating “Conflict”: Why disagreement and conflict are not the same thing
I recently came across a useful distinction between a hypothesis and a theory. A hypothesis is a testable proposition. A theory is a developed explanation supported by substantial evidence. That got me thinking about two other words I use a lot: framework and paradigm. A framework is the structure we use to organise concepts, assumptions and questions. A paradigm is broader again: the established way a field tends to understand a subject. Which raises an interesting question for workplace conflict.
Better Safe Than Sorry
“Better safe than sorry” is one of those everyday sayings we rarely question. Wear the seatbelt. Check the lock. Back up the file. Test the smoke alarm. The logic is simple: a small precaution now may prevent a much bigger problem later. So why do we so often abandon that logic when it comes to workplace misbehaviour?
Vaccinate Against Toxic Workplace Behaviour
What if we thought about workplace conflict the same way we think about health? Most organisations already have systems for when things go seriously wrong. But the more interesting question is what happens much earlier. A useful continuum might look like this:
The No Asshole Loophole: Giving the Ass a Free Pass
I’ve been reading about Robert Sutton’s The No Asshole Rule, and there’s a lot about his thinking that aligns with what I’m trying to achieve with SpatzAI. Sutton’s basic proposition is simple: workplaces shouldn’t tolerate people who repeatedly demean, humiliate, intimidate or disrespect others — regardless of how talented or productive they might be.
360-Degree Feedback and the Difficult Conversation
I read a post this morning about senior leaders resisting 360-degree feedback. I presumed "360-degree feedback" means everyone gets it, let me check. "The “360” refers to getting a rounded view from people above, beside and below you in the hierarchy, rather than feedback coming only from your boss." The interesting point was not that leaders dislike this feedback. Most leaders give feedback all the time. The interesting part was what happened when the feedback process was turned back on them.
Speaking Down, Not Talking Down, & Speaking Up, Not Talking Back
Speaking up, speaking down, giving feedback, challenging an idea — what do they all have in common? They are things organisations say they want people to be able to do. Yet employees can hesitate to speak up because of the possible cost. And managers can struggle to speak down without it becoming talking down. There is an important distinction.
What is Your Organization Prepared to Do?
I read a post today that contained this line: “That gap between what an organisation knows and WHAT IT IS PREPARED TO DO can tell us a great deal about its culture.” I think the intended meaning of prepared was fairly clear. The organisation knows there is a behavioural problem, but it is not sufficiently willing to confront it. Fair point. But I read another meaning into the same word.
How Do You Build a GREAT Team?
We spend a lot of time talking about how to build great managers. Train them to give better feedback. Teach them how to have difficult conversations. Improve their communication skills. All useful, and right in the middle of most management consultants’ target market. But I think there is another side to the equation that gets much less attention: What does it take to be a great team member? Jim Collins wrote:. “A culture of discipline is not a principle of business; it is a principle of greatness.”
