The costs of partner underperformance
The costs of complicity
If Ace, Bill, or Wolf find themselves in difficulty because of their behaviour, they sometimes ask, “Why didn’t someone tell me before?” Part of the answer lies with them, as they were not ready to hear. But part of the answer also lies with the people who could have said something and chose not to – other leaders, the C-Suite, and Tony, for example. If these folks had done the right thing rather than play along, the issues could have been surfaced and addressed.
I am not appealing to anyone’s better nature or sense of guilt. If you are a leader and you know that a peer has a seriously negative impact, you could check your obligations as well as your conscience. You may find that you need to do something about it. Whatever the rulebook says, those who should be aware of misconduct and do not take effective action will be seen by others as part of the problem.
There are no observers of bad behaviour — only people who help, and those who enable it.
From my experience of turning these issues around, there are a few simple things that individuals and organisations can do that make a big difference.
What individuals can do
What should you do if you see something out of line? Here are my top dos and don’ts.
Understand your obligations
Talk to someone you trust
Get support
Observe the organisation’s process
Keep a record and prepare
Feel guilty
Delay
Gossip
Get stuck in your thoughts
Minimise or exaggerate
What organisations can do
Organisations would do well to focus on three things.
Address any skills gap in how to stop slippery slopes.
Check that your controls about behaviour and people decisions are effective.
Close any capability, incentive or governance gaps at management level that allow high-risk issues to go unaddressed.
This is not about new policy. I spent many years working with organisations whose instinct was to write their way out of problems they have behaved their way into. Whether it is another policy or another LinkedIn post, it doesn’t work.
The UPSCALE Actions
Scale up the tangible impact of your efforts with a simple checklist to embed great behaviours and culture throughout an organisation.
