Page 153 - Fearless Leadership

140 FEARLESS LEADERSHIP

cements the committed partnership. People make the course corrections
necessary to achieve the greatest success possible.
There is comfort in knowing that once you take your stand and emo-
tionally engage others, they will also step up and take a stand. In short
order, you will have countless ambassadors who are disseminating your
message because it is what they believe in and want to create. This explo-
sion of commitment and engagement gives your organization the power
to effect rapid change. The bigger your stand and commitment, the more
you must expect your mettle to be tested. But because you are working
with committed partners, you will not be alone, and your partners will see
you through any daunting situation.
When you take a stand for building a culture of accountability, do not
treat culture as an initiative. Instead, make culture—how people behave—
the larger context and framework for achieving business results. For exam-
ple, you might say: “How we work together determines what we can
achieve.” By speaking about how culture is the context for achieving busi-
ness objectives, you effectively raise the standard of behavior and connect
business results to how people work together. In this way, culture becomes
a way of life and part of the fabric of the organization.
However, taking a bold stand is only the start of the transformation
process. You must also have a way for individuals and teams to learn a uni-
form and consistent standard of behavior that applies across the organiza-
tion. There is a limit to what you will achieve by talking about concepts
versus learning new skills and integrating them into daily behavior. In the
following chapters, we talk about the new behavior that is needed to trans-
form leaders and the organization.

INSPIRE PEOPLE TO BE MORE, AND THEY
WILL DO MORE

We often hear leaders say, “We can’t place one more demand on people
to change—they are already overwhelmed.” It is accurate to say that more
demands—initiatives—are not the answer. We have it backward. We put
pressure on ourselves and others to do more, achieve one more thing, take
on one more project, or add one more responsibility to our list. But the
container is already full and spilling over the edges into a change-fatigued
workforce that is emotionally drained.