Bad culture punishes mistakes more than it celebrates success

The more senior we get, the more tempting it can be to play not to lose.

(As opposed to playing to win).

I’ve noticed this trend amongst some leaders (and in myself sometimes).

The more senior we get, the more conversative we become.

At a time when our influence has never been greater, we start changing the way we approach work. When – evidently – our approach has served us pretty well to date.

We take fewer risks. We play it small. We don’t stick our heads up above the parapet so much.

Perhaps it’s because we’ve never had more to lose. Because the stakes are higher. For us. And for our (bigger) team.

The problem is worst in cultures that punish mistakes harder than they reward getting things right.

So, in one sense, conservatism becomes a fitting adaptation to an environment like that.

But, while it might protect the individual from short-term reputational damage, it’s problematic because it erodes impact.

In the extreme case, it drives people to do the bare minimum. To make the fewest decisions. And to never take risks.

This is an outrageous waste of individual and organisational capacity to make a positive difference.

Plus… it’s no fun.

There’s nothing inspiring about spending our days trying not to stuff up when we could be out there growing our impact in interesting and powerful ways.

And what kind of life – let alone a career – does that make for?

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