Courage and Humility

Much has been written about the importance of courage and humility in leadership in recent years. The courage to speak your mind and the humility to change your mind are both good prescriptions for creating a dynamic corporate culture where ideas are generated and expressed freely. However, many people in today’s organizations are not comfortable speaking their minds because they’re afraid they’ll be inappropriately judged, evaluated, and even punished. People are also afraid to exhibit humility or change their minds because such behavior is considered a sign of weakness and an inability to make decisions. Bottom-line: too many people in too many organizations are holding back, be it a little or a lot, in the name of self-protection and survival.

General Electric has long been heralded for it’s now legendary “work out” sessions in which employees meet together in groups with complete freedom to raise all sorts of concerns in front of their bosses, but without their bosses being allowed to deny or ignore a single issue. Some people call it an institutionalized way of talking back to your boss. Moreover, if bosses attempt to retaliate later against outspoken employees, they are quickly reprimanded or terminated. According to one GE employee, the “work-out” experience is not only invigorating and self-affirming, but also life-changing. The company’s message to every employee is loud and clear: “You matter, your concerns matter, and you are what makes this organization successful.”

Creating open environments where opinions are respected, ideas are vigorously debated, and judgments are appropriate, is not easy. You have to genuinely care about employees’ thoughts and feelings, not because it’s a nice thing to do, but because it creates a vital system of checks and balances for business decisions while promoting courage and humility.

To learn more about creating open work environments and building cultures where people take accountability for demonstrating courage and humility, join our Accountability Community at www.partnersinleadership.com, where you can review actual company experiences and results.

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