Yesterday, I had the opportunity to speak to a group of professionals that focus on innovation. I read the group an excerpt from Daring Greatly that quotes Peter Sheahan (author, speaker and CEO of ChangeLabs):
"The secret killer of innovation is shame. You can't measure it, but it is there. Every time someone holds back on a new idea, fails to give their manager much needed feedback, and is afraid to speak up in front of a client you can be sure shame played a part. That deep fear we all have of being wrong, of being belittled and of feeling less than, is what stops us from taking the very risks required to move our companies forward.
If you want a culture of creativity and innovation, where sensible risks are embraced on both a market and individual level, start by developing the ability of managers to cultivate an openness to vulnerability in their teams. And this, paradoxically perhaps, requires first that they are vulnerable themselves. This notion that the leader needs to be 'in charge' and to 'know all the answers' is both dated and destructive. Its impact on others is the sense that they know less, and that they are less than. A recipe for risk aversion if ever I have heard it. Shame becomes fear. Fear leads to risk aversion. Risk aversion kills innovation."
This struck a real nerve for me because I have witnessed, first-hand, workplace bullying. People that belittle, publicly humiliate and shame their colleagues and direct reports.This is the killer of innovation/creativity, and yet, we wonder why we don't have enough of it. I urge everyone to build each other up, not break each other down. Cruelty is unnecessary. Conjure up the courage to speak out when you witness these behaviors in your workplace, as you're out and about, or even in your own family.
Stock image is from following website: http://tweakyourbiz.com/management/2011/05/12/do-not-stand-alone-workplace-bullying/
Video is from Florida Blue youtube site
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