Page 118 - Fearless Leadership

Victim Mentality and Playing Small 105

ing. They took on the task of building authentic partnerships where
previously none had existed.

The Result. In three days, the two groups eliminated victim men-
tality and built strong committed partnerships. Even though every-
one knew there would be many changes in the next 12 months
including a number of changes on the senior team, the two groups
united as one leadership team. The acquisition was highly success-
ful and the senior group directly attributed this to their breakthrough
in working together as an aligned and cohesive team.

Lesson Learned. When leaders are fearless in confronting what peo-
ple are experiencing but not saying, issues can be quickly resolved
and a new future created. In this case, senior leaders moved from
thinking as separate companies to a larger context of working together
as committed partners. By quickly integrating senior leaders, the par-
ent company was able to eliminate the barriers that commonly pre-
vent success during a merger.

The salient point to bear in mind is that a victim triangle can form in
an instant, creating silos and “enemies” where there should be none. Any
group or individual can unwittingly become the persecutor, victim, or co-
conspirator. That, of course, leads to resignation and the loss of focused
and aligned people. This jump is automatic and seriously damages the
ability of the organization to perform.

DELUSIONS OF ADEQUACY: 50/50 ACCOUNTABILITY
DOESN’T WORK
We have now come full circle back to the topic of accountability, which
is the foundation of fearless leadership. What is typically referred to as
“accountability” in organizations today is actually 50/50 accountability, on
which the victim triangle is based. This carries the familiar mantras “It’s
not our fault, it’s theirs,” or “I’ll do my part if you do yours.” The 50/50
model requires another party to take action before something can happen,
and as a result, it slows down or stops progress altogether.
In a culture of 50/50 accountability, responsible and committed peo-
ple work hard but in opposition to someone or something. People listen