Culture Leadership Charge – Don’t Bump the Fishbowl

Have you ever “bumped the fishbowl?” Those fish aren’t happy when you do.

My best boss, Jerry Nutter, used this folksy reference to describe how leaders’ behavior is often much more damaging to their team members’ confidence, engagement, cooperation, and performance than leaders believe.

How do leaders “bump the fishbowl” and cause team members’ nerves to be on edge? They make structural or staffing changes with no context and no chance for questions. They take credit for team members’ work. They micromanage. They provide critical feedback 99% of the time, validating and praising only 1% of the time.

In today’s three-minute episode of my Culture Leadership Charge video series, I describe how you can ensure you never “bump the fishbowl” with your team members.

Watch the video below to learn my three steps to serving, validating, and celebrating employees’ ideas and contributions every day.

My Culture Leadership Charge series features short (two-to-three-minute) videos that describe proven culture leadership and servant leadership practices that boost engagement, service, and results across your work teams, departments, regions, and even your entire company.

Each episode’s “charge” is a challenge for everyone in your organization – not just leaders – to refine their behaviors and ensure everyone is treated respectfully at all times.

You’ll find my Culture Leadership Charge episodes and more on my YouTube and Vimeo channels. If you like what you see, please subscribe!

Photo © Adobe Stock – Mirek Kijewski. All rights reserved.