The fear of crashing typically leads to a fear of flying. A track record of safe landings goes a long way to lessening those fears.
The same holds true in organizations when it comes to trying new things or speaking candidly with a teammate.
We all know that innovation and collaboration (a more valuable form of communication) are the cornerstones of effective business enterprises, but did you know that most innovation and collaboration don’t take place due to fear—fear of failing, repercussions, vulnerability, being misunderstood, conflict, etc.
The process of Innovation and collaboration, finding new and better solutions, involve risk and discomfort, which most people try to avoid unless they feel safe.
In Dare to Lead, Brene Brown, says that we need to teach people how to land before they jump. She says their research shows that leaders who are trained in “rising skills” as part of a courage-building program are more likely to engage in courageous behaviors because they know how to get back up. In her organization they teach falling as part of courage-building during onboarding.
The conundrum is that we want to have brave people on our team, and brave people are going to fall, but if they don’t have the skills to get back up they are going to avoid falling. So we need to teach them the skills to get back up while providing an environment within which they feel comfortable to fall.
In short, the rising skills Brown teaches, are:
- Reckon with your emotions by noticing and investigating them.
- Recognize your emotions, by giving yourself permission to feel.
- Ask yourself why you’re feeling these emotions, be curious and investigate.
The reason this works is that by being curious, you’re automatically coming up with creative solutions.
2. We make up stories to cope with our emotions, but sometimes these stories turn into traps we can’t seem to escape from.
But it’s just a story you tell yourself, nothing more. Rumbling is about keeping these stories in check. It’s like a BS detector for your own thoughts.
3. Revolutionize your attitude with the results.
When you channel your insights from rumbling into positive changes, a revolution follows.
To take a deeper dive into this topic I recommend reading Rising Strong.
Great leaders teach their people how to land and encourage them to take brave behaviors so that they are better able to contribute their natural best for the benefit of themselves, their team, and the outcomes being pursued.
Herb Mast is a Leadership Coach and Employee Engagement Specialist. Learn how he can assist you in implementing the principles and concepts presented here.