Page 142 - Fearless Leadership

Changing Your Direction and Taking a Bold Stand 129

Choice 2: You Must Have the Courage to Take a
Bold Stand and Act Decisively

Nothing happens in an organization until leaders take a public and
unshakable stand that emotionally engages people and focuses them on
the critical mission. Taking a stand is the act of publicly declaring your
commitment and steadfast resolve to bring a new reality into existence.
Your stand as a leader must connect the aspirations of people to the aspi-
rations of the organization. In this way, your stand must expand both orga-
nizational and personal context. Most leaders are skilled at creating the
business context, but much less so at creating a personal and emotional
context that captures the hearts and minds of people.
Imagine the consequences of not taking a bold stand: the organization
vacillates, individuals and teams lose faith, and business results falter.
Taking a bold stand is a subject that warrants additional attention and we
cover it later in this chapter.
The following example illustrates how acting as an owner and taking a
stand changes the behavior of others.

Being an Owner Is Not Just a Concept; It’s a Group
Practice That Boosts Profits
Safety is always an issue at mining sites. In one mining camp the
director of safety, Randy, complained incessantly about being the
only person who cared enough about safety hazards to constantly
police the site. Randy was a victim of a familiar mindset and
behavior.
What Happened. At a meeting of the senior mine site team, Randy
attacked the group for not being proactive about safety. Sparks flew
and one leader said pointedly to Randy, “When you decide you want
my job, I’ll consider doing yours.”

Intervening to Expand Group Ownership. Randy was not the only
person who had a victim mindset; the group was also displaying the
same victim mindset and blaming one another. Titles and job
responsibilities were being used as the red herring to avoid taking
100% accountability for safety.