Leadership Transformation
mental, respectful, caring, compas-
sionate, safe conversations about fear
starts at the top. Leaders have to take
the first steps in being vulnerable with
others and leaders need to have the
conversations with others that result in
the co-creation of the rules of en-
gagement that can lead to creating an
environment where it is psychological-
ly safe for employees to talk about and
work through their fears of change.
We have learned that for many
leaders it is much easier to start the
fear discussion by asking them a
series of questions: “Why would your
employees be fearful of the change
that is needed? What can you do to
mitigate that fear?” Then move to
the personal discussion. “What about
you — what fears do you have about
the transformation? How can you
mitigate your fear?” Transformation
is very personal, and though we read
studies and survey outcomes, we very
infrequently hear about reasons for
the fears. Acknowledging that every-
one has personal reasons for their
fears is a powerful step.
Then managers and leaders can have
conversations with small groups of em-
ployees and ask them what they need
from the company in order not to be so
fearful and to be courageous. Leaders
and managers can ask employees: “How
can I help you feel safe here? What do I
need to do differently?”
We are not saying you should lower
your standards of performance. What we
are saying is that if you want big changes
in human behaviors, you need to face
fear in the workplace courageously, both
individually and organizationally.
As Abraham Maslow so aptly stated:
“An individual engages in learning to
the extent he (or she) is not crippled by
fear and to the extent he (or she) feels
safe enough to dare.”
n
EDWARD D. HESS is a professor of
business admin-
istration, Batten
executive-in-res-
idence and a
Batten Faculty
Fellow at the Uni-
versity of Virginia’s
Darden School of
Business.
DR. DONNA MURDOCH is an adjunct
assistant professor of Adult Learning and
Leadership at Co-
lumbia University
Teachers College
and a partner at
Rose Rock Dynam-
ics. This article first
appeared in UVA’s
Darden Ideas to
Action.
For more Darden Ideas to Action, visit:
https://ideas.darden.virginia.edu/.
Introducing
Learn by Safco !
®
This comprehensive collection of our favorite Safco
products are designed to enhance your educational
environment. Today’s learning takes place throughout
the school, not just the classroom. That’s why our
products are designed to work across the entire
education environment, be mobile, keep students active,
and most importantly, allow flexibility.
Visit the Learn by Safco website to see how we can solve
your educational furniture equation.
www.safcoproducts.com/LearnbySafco
Safco has been part of education since
saddle shoes were in style. And since you
might still be using some school desks from
that era, we’re introducing Learn by Safco ® .
42 essentials | summer 2019