Do the right thing even when it is hard.
Last week, I started to listen to a podcast where the host was interviewing a whistle blower. The whistle blower exposed his employer, who he claimed was telling blatant lies regarding one of their programs for children. Within 24 hours, the whistle blower’s actions prompted a change in his state that made the exposed conduct illegal.
Afterwards, the whistle blower was visited by federal agents. He says they are harassing him and threatening him with 10 years in federal prison as retribution for exposing the scandal.
The next day I went back to listen to the rest of the podcast. It had been removed.
Whistle blowers are extreme examples of people who don’t shirk away from the work of surfacing issues and forcing discourse on hard topics. They are courageous and principled.
When I see them get harassed, it’s easy for me to be discouraged. Still, I admire these individuals and am inspired by their bravery.
I have never had a scandal to expose. But I do push for civil discourse in my personal and professional life, even when it’s hard and hope you do too. As leaders, it’s our obligation to have hard conversations, so that we make progress and stand up for those who are vulnerable.
Display your badge of courage at work.
I work with leaders who drive dramatic change in their organizations. These are leaders that put companies together, take companies apart, introduce new capabilities, new technologies and reorganize their people.
Leading a transformation is hard, and it takes a courageous leader.
When I say courageous, I do mean the usual stuff like delivering hard news, tracking progress and taking the heat from naysayers.
But what I really mean by courageous is when a leader solicits feedback from those impacted by proposed changes, listens to the feedback, and this is important, doesn’t shoot the courageous messengers.
These smart leaders know feedback is intel, and that intel sometimes is hard to hear.
Feedback
The best leaders encourage their teams to have hard conversations. They get their people to engage and yes “blow their whistle” without fear of retribution.
I have helped clients create regular forums for surfacing concerns and having hard conversations during the planning part of the project. These conversations breed confidence, and the team performs better. Plus, the hard work becomes a whole lot more fun.
I wish I could say creating space and encouraging hard conversations in the workplace is typical. It is not. However, it can be typical at your organization especially if you model having hard conversations openly.
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Key Points
Integrity is leadership in its purest form — doing what’s right when no one’s watching and when the risk is real.
Trust and influence grow when leaders choose courage over comfort and model ethical steadiness through hard moments.