Are you in a Leadership Information Bubble?
Several years ago, I read the novel Delicious Foods by James Hannahan. It’s a difficult story of intergenerational trauma, racism, and mistreatment of workers— a challenging read.
Years later, however, I’m grateful to the story for giving me language to describe a phenomenon I witness in my work and life over and over. The book states, “…most often people who have power turn their stories into a wall keeping out somebody else’s truth…”
In other language, If you are in any role in your life where you have power— a leader, manager, mentor, teacher, or parent— you likely exist in an information bubble. This bubble is created when we aren’t told the truth because of the real or imagined consequences of doing so.
While a minority of people in power may knowingly create such isolation, for most of us, we are merely stepping into structures that already exist and bringing with us positive intentions.
However, because of what researcher Amy Edmonson describes as “inherited beliefs” about authority and because of the hierarchical nature of most communities, leaders often operate in a culture of fear where lower status members hide their authentic experiences and true opinions because the perceived risks are too high; this is a culture of default.
Cultures of default exist in our organizations, communities, and even our families. The cost of the isolation and fear that results is significant. We lose out on truth. We lose out on connection. Most importantly, we lose out on the chance to positively impact people who matter to us through responding to their needs.
Building a new culture can be challenging. Some of the hardest moments I’ve had in my personal and professional life are when I am receiving feedback that hurts my feelings— times when I’ve been told that my behaviors aren’t aligned with my intentions. However, I know that without these conversations I would unknowingly hurt people who matter to me.
In these moments, I return to my mindfulness roots. I’ve learned to notice the defensiveness that naturally arises while breathing through the moment. My goal is to listen, to acknowledge that the person giving the feedback is taking a risk, and to try and express gratitude before I respond.
All of us have areas of our lives where we have higher status over others, and we all have areas of life where we wish we had more control and authority. This is the first in a series where I’ll be sharing more about how we can mitigate the culture of default and create positive change.
We’ll answer the questions:
How can we create a safe, non-judgmental space for others when we’re in a leadership role?
How can we advocate for needed changes when we aren’t the person in charge?
How can we create communities of care where cooperation and learning are centered over hierarchy?
If you are a person who wants to change the world for the better, this is how we begin— by examining the systems we take part in and asking ourselves the question, “How can we do better?”
I hope you will join me. You can sign up for my monthly newsletter here.