Small Moments, Big Impact
Jake Herway
Leadership & culture advisor accelerating problem solving and measurable results
As leaders, from front line to executive, we're moving fast, solving big problems, with lots coming at us. Noise in our heads. Noise in our inboxes. Noise in our newsfeeds. Noise in our chats. Noise in our homes. Noise in our relationships. Noise in our to-do list.
How do we recognize what really matters?
Leaders are in the unique position to model what is most important and how the rest of the organization is expected to behave. That, my friends, is culture. Leadership influences culture more than anything else can.
How we treat each other is the most visible and impactful marker of culture.
How we treat each other creates or destroys the conditions for flow and performance. How we treat our team members also impacts our relationships with our customers, suppliers, vendors, investors, and communities.
So where are those moments that matter most in how we treat each other? How do you best handle those moments? What messages does it signal to the organization? What impact will that have?
Moments That Matter Most
Brené Brown has conclusively shown that moments of vulnerability are what matter most to our relationships and how we get the best of each other as a whole. In her own words:
"True belonging only happens when we present our authentic, imperfect selves to the world."
From the work I do with leadership teams, I'm finding that most of us have externalized this. We expect others to show up vulnerable first, so we can then feel psychologically safe. It doesn't work that way.
A leader showing vulnerability gives us the model for what we need to do, but it doesn't create safety. The irony of Amy Edmondson 's psychological safety is you have to be unsafe before you can know you are safe. You have to test it.
You can't be psychologically safe until you been unsafe long or often enough to prove safety is there.
This gets missed by leaders. It is how we react to others' vulnerability that matters most. Not showing it. Showing vulnerability matters. It can help others do the same, and is an important trigger to start the path to safety, but showing vulnerability alone doesn't create the cultural conditions for unbridled expression of talent.
Recommended by LinkedIn
More important than showing vulnerability is how we react to it.
How we respond to moments of vulnerability is what people are watching. Our response as leaders will tell the organization what is acceptable and what is expected. We can look for specific moments of vulnerability and know immediately when we see them that our response is on display.
Small Moments With Big Impact
When you see moments of vulnerability, you know you have a moment that matters most to your organization's ability to get the best of the collective. When you see these moments, the rest of the noise doesn't matter as much as this does. This is where you're defining how we behave around here, what matters to us, what our priorities are, what we stand for, and who we are for each other, for our customers, and for all our stakeholders.
A big deal, right? Bottled in such a small moment.
Common examples of these small moments of vulnerability are when someone:
When you see these common, small moments, pause. Stop. Because what happens next has big impact.
Your reaction is going to tell people who you are and who we are. Your response is going to speak louder than any speech, any promise, any effort you've made to encourage people to speak up, have hard conversations, own the outcome, etc.
Your next move is going to influence behavioral norms and how the organization gets work done. Your next move will be talked about and shared among your employees. As the stories spread, culture is shaped.
Forget the posters, the screen savers, the PowerPoints, the Town Halls, or what's on the website. The sum of your repeated reactions to regular moments of vulnerability is how people know what the culture is.
What culture do you want? One where people do their best to put themselves out there, or one where they do their best to fly under the radar?
You determine the answer by your response to these every day, small moments of vulnerability.
Talent Management
1y🌟 A must-read for every leader and aspiring leader. The way we respond to vulnerability, those small yet significant moments, defines the culture. Jake, thank you for sharing your wisdom. It's is not just enlightening but empowering for people to step into a space of authenticity and mutual respect. Proud to call you a friend!
I help extraordinary leaders transform corporate culture | 500+ leaders coached | Keynote Speaker | For business inquiries, christy@thecultureworks.com
1yThank you Jake! Your deep dive into the dance of vulnerability and leadership is helpful - and might i say profound. In our loud world, you remind us of the impact our responses have in moments of vulnerability. Every reaction is a thread weaving the tapestry of our culture. #Leaders: This article is a call to action for all of us to respond with empathy, courage, and authenticity.