Getting Unstuck: Take Fear Out of Your Culture

Photo courtesy of James Yarema, Unsplash.

Fear kills company culture.

You may have seen this yourself. Leaders interrogating their teams and freely dispensing criticism when results aren't achieved. People hesitant to contribute because their opinions might be shot down. Managers hoarding resources and refusing to collaborate with other teams. The link between fear and declining revenues, layoffs, unhappy customers and employees seems to go both ways as the company finds itself in a death spiral.

Don't take my word for it: Google conducted research across more than 180 teams and found that the most successful teams were characterised by a culture of psychological safety. As Frank Herbert wrote in Dune, "Fear is the mind-killer".

So what do you do when your company feels stuck? When nothing seems to be working, and there doesn't seem to be anything to look forward to? How can you take fear out of your culture?

One of the most powerful interventions a company can make to unlock fresh ideas and energy is simply to get curious.

In practical terms, this might include creating a forum for senior leaders to learn new things together about their clients, or about how their teams are working on the ground. It is critical that these forums are framed as opportunities for shared learning, rather than problem-solving - because a problem-solving orientation often results in leaders reaching for the levers of control, drawing on their knowledge and experience, rather than their curiosity.

Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella calls this being a "learn-it-all" rather than a "know-it-all", and he credits this shift in his leaders as being one of the keys to their success in leading a major turnaround at the company.

Why is curiosity so important?

Curiosity creates space for new learning, for unheard voices to speak up, for blockages to be cleared away. It takes away the blade of judgment and the fire of blame, and gives fresh oxygen to the ideas and intrinsic motivation of employees.

Curiosity acknowledges that in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environment, yesterday's answers may not always solve today's questions.