~ 50% respondents said that they least experience this form of courage.
(Recent LinkedIn Poll conducted by me)
I was not surprised by the results…. We lack the courage to stand up for what we believe in.
Couple of examples:
#1: I knew that a colleague (senior to me in hierarchy) was ill-treating her team members. The team was demotivated and struggling with severe burn out. I thought of complaining to the top leadership but eventually didn’t.
#2: My friend saw that women in his function regularly faced sexist comments like, “why should we hire women, they will go on maternity?”, “she is a diversity hire”. He felt bad for the women, tried to stop them a couple of times, after that he decided to keep quiet.
Do you recall situations when either you or someone else didn’t muster the courage to stand up?
Ever wonder what holds us back?
Reason 1: the desire not to spoil relationships, I didn’t report my colleague as she had helped me in the past, and I felt bad reporting her. I hoped that she would get better, soon…
Reason 2: Fear of repercussion, negative impact on performance appraisal, project allocation or even job loss. Power dynamics usually come into play.
Reason 3: Not knowing what to do, who to or where to report.
Reason 4: Social pressure, when my friend initially supported the women couple of times, his colleagues jeered at him. After that, he feared being ostracized and decided to keep quiet.
Reason 5: Lack of psychological safety – when the culture doesn’t allow open dialogue, employees prefer keeping their thoughts to themselves.
At the outset, I would like to thank you for stopping by my Blog.
I believe that there is nothing right or wrong in this world. What’s right in this moment and context may be wrong in another moment and context. This belief has inspired me to name my blog ‘Perspectives’.
Perspectives is a platform for me to share my experiences, thoughts and perspectives on various subjects. You may have a different point of view. I look forward to hearing them, these are the triggers for rich and deep conversations.
On personal front, I live in Mumbai, India. I love to read; Somerset Maugham and Nevil Shute are my favorite authors. My favorite books are The Razor’s Edge, Mrs. Craddock, Chequer Board and Gone with the Wind. I am thankful to my father who inculcated the habit of reading in me early on.
I am also passionate about traveling, I have been to most parts of India and to several countries across the globe.
On professional front, I work in Human Resources function. Over two and half decades, I have worked across multiple industries and cultures. I focus on Leadership Development, Talent Management, Visioning and Culture, Large-scale change, Employee Listening & Engagement, Employee Well-being, Inclusive work culture, HR effectiveness, Behavior and Mind-set shifts through sustained interventions
I currently lead Organization Effectiveness Function for Aditya Birla Group, a $44.3 billion conglomerate with 120000 employees across 35 countries.
I sincerely hope that you will enjoy reading my blog. I look forward to your thoughts and suggestions.
Thank you!
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Perspectives 