High Standards as a Pathway to Justice, Part 2: What about the people who struggle with...people?
In this second and final part of the High Standards as a Pathway to Justice series, we’ll look at how to support folks who are “not people people” when an organization elevates the expected standards for interpersonal communication and repair when there is conflict.
High Standards as a Pathway to Justice, Part 1: What about the people who struggle to get on board?
Let’s talk about the folks who struggle when an organization throws its code of conduct in the trash and moves to create a culture of repair and justice instead of one based on surveillance and punishment. This comes down to two related questions: What about people who are not on board with communicating and interacting in a repair-oriented way? What about the people who have historically had a difficult time with nuanced human interactions that we expect not to fare well when repair-oriented interpersonal communications are an expectation within the team?
Throw Your Code of Conduct in the Trash
Have you looked at your organization's code of conduct lately? It's probably garbage. I’m not a lawyer, and this isn’t legal advice, but it is, quite likely, absolute trash. Let’s talk about why your code of conduct is trash and what to create instead to build stronger organizations where everyone can thrive.
How to tell someone they're doing a lousy job
The most supportive and psychologically safe culture won’t keep teammates from doing a lousy job and making a mess of things. Here's what to do about it.
Do you need to fire someone?
If you’re wondering if you need to fire someone, the answer is yes. You’ve probably already waited too long, and you’d be better off right now if they had been fired a while ago.
Beloved Leadership #6 - Trust there is Time
The classic adage to “go slow to go fast” means treating time like an abundant resource and not succumbing to the business-as-usual frantic pace and busy everything is urgent culture.
Beloved Leadership #4 - Seek Difference
“Seek difference” seems so eye-rollingly simple that I feel like Rimington and Cea are saying it elicits a sigh and commentary on the state of initiatives for expanding demographics within business-as-usual organizations. They clarify that instead, it is “a commitment to continually seek out relevant forms of diversity and create team cultures that effectively engage differences.”
Beloved Leadership #3 - Reckon with History
We often skip the opportunity to deeply process and learn from history. The past is either not worth our time and consideration or so venerated to be beyond reproach (which, for some unknown reason, means beyond examination).
Leadership that Prevents Conflict
Thinking about managing conflict is draining, and managing conflicts is stressful. Leadership skills that prevent conflict are not a fantasy; you can do it.
Making Tough Leadership Decisions
One reason hard decisions are hard is because they might negatively impact people around you. Tough decisions might actually hurt people, their feelings, their relationship with you, their life path - through no fault of their own. Avoiding hard decisions or passing the buck doesn’t actually help. (Nor does ramping up your energy to blame others, the circumstances, the state of the world, the fates, your teammates, the past...)
How Popular Leaders Actually Survive the Fury of Unpopular Decisions
Let’s suppose you’re you are (or want to be) both a popular leader and a good one. Being a good leader means sometimes your good decisions are unpopular. You knew it was inevitable, and now it’s happening - your teammates are not happy with your decision. And that’s ok because you are ready for this situation.
Teaching Organizational Culture
In my time cultivating oodles of leaders and leadership teams, it was repeatedly reinforced that paying attention to creating team culture is worth the effort. I’ve seen so many teams latch onto the quirks, foibles or neuroses of their leadership team, for better or for worse - generally for worse.
Discipline without Punishment
Classic models of organizational discipline policy damage work relationships and create a toxic work environment. And, I have yet to meet a leader who is stoked to be the disciplinarian for their team. If you hate how discipline works (or, more likely, how it doesn’t work) at your organization, it’s time to take a look at your discipline policy and come up with something better.
Great Leaders are Good Quitters
I have been fascinated with the book Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away by Annie Duke. It is clear to me now that great leaders need to be good at quitting.
Cultivating Leaders with Appreciation
I frequently hear from people in organizations (particularly nonprofit organizations) who want to cultivate more leaders from within but are struggling to get people to step into leadership roles. One huge barrier to people stepping up is that they see and hear (and maybe are repeatedly told) that leaders in the organization are not appreciated.
Three Ways to Upgrade Your Informal Leadership
There are only so many spaces for people with official leadership titles, but there is infinite room for informal leaders to make an impact. Teammates look to informal leaders to learn team culture and how things work. They influence the team and are respected teammates.
