The Healthy Workplace Nudge

Chapter 14Courageous Leaders and a Culture of Care

Culture is what happens when you're not there.

—Rex Miller, Bill Latham, and Brian Cahill¹

Most companies do not adapt to or even survive change.

That is because most leaders assume they will know what to do when faced with a problem. Tom Peters captured the real issue more than 30 years ago when he wrote, “If you're not confused, you're not paying attention.”² Adapting is learning while leading. We make it up as we go. But most leaders are not very good at that. They prefer to look magisterial and intimidating, like Jeremy Irons in Margin Call or Al Pacino in The Godfather, Part II. I do not enjoy looking like I don't know, so I don't play games like Pictionary or Trivial Pursuit at parties. Because I'm supposed to be pretty smart and creative, I had better perform well in those settings. Instead, I feel tight and anxious. But fun is the point. And I can't have fun because I feel pressure to perform. Pure and simple, that is why companies so often fail at change. Leaders try to maintain the image of supreme confidence and competence and always being in charge, when the whole point is to learn and have fun doing so.

The Trouble with Culture

Culture makes change difficult. So, how can we demystify that creature called culture? Yes, creature: it has personality, moods, a voice, and the power to act. It is a collective mind that prefers to remain silent and invisible. Until you cross it. Do you remember the moment during your ...