In the last of our special Mind Matters sessions, Megan Reitz, Amy Edmondson, Peter Sims and moderator Morra Aarons Mele discuss the implications of the leader’s optimism bubble, de-stigmatising failure, and building scaffolding to invite input: a culture of speaking up doesn’t create itself, it requires scaffolding. Find out more about productive vulnerability, the role of experiential knowing, and how to make space for the bigger conversations.

Speaking up — and being heard — in organizations is critical, but failed attempts to speak up happen often at work and can lead people to silence themselves and others in the long run. Instead, leaders and team members should frame such situations as opportunities to learn.

Brené Brown: “In this episode, I’m talking to Megan Reitz, a professor of leadership and dialogue, and John Higgins, a researcher and author, about an article they published in the MIT Sloan Management Review titled “Leading in an Age of Employee Activism.””

Reitz, M. and Higgins, J. (2019). Speak Up: Say what needs to be said and hear what needs to be heard. London: Financial Times Publishing

Reitz, M. and Chaskalson, M. (2020). Why Your Team Should Practice Collective Mindfulness. Harvard Business Review.

Reitz, M. and Chaskalson, M. (2018). Learning to AIM: Three building blocks of mindfulness Training Zone

Chaskalson, M. and Reitz, M. Mind Time: Ten Mindful Minutes To Enhance Your Work, Relationships, Health and Happiness. London: Harper Thorsons.

🎙️ On the next episode of Minds Worth Meeting, leadership and dialogue expert Megan Reitz joins us to discuss the importance of how leaders “show up” to work, why we all need safe environments to speak up and permission to pause, how AI is starting to change dialogue in organizations, and more.

Mental well-being is critical for individuals, communities, and organizations, yet despite the lifting of taboos around mental health in society, employees are feeling less cared for than ever. So why are we still reluctant to talk openly about our mental well-being at work?

Leaders can play a critical role in facilitating these conversations by speaking up about their own experiences and encouraging others to do the same.

Dr. Megan Reitz

In the last of our special Mind Matters sessions, Megan Reitz, Amy Edmondson, Peter Sims and moderator Morra Aarons Mele discuss the implications of the leader’s optimism bubble, de-stigmatising failure, and building scaffolding to invite input: a culture of speaking up doesn’t create itself, it requires scaffolding. Find out more about productive vulnerability, the role of experiential knowing, and how to make space for the bigger conversations.

Speaking up — and being heard — in organizations is critical, but failed attempts to speak up happen often at work and can lead people to silence themselves and others in the long run. Instead, leaders and team members should frame such situations as opportunities to learn.

How can you speak confidently and navigate difficult conversations in your organization? How does power dynamics affect communication? In this episode, Megan Reitz, the author of Speak Out, Listen Up, talks about how perceptions of power enable and silence others. She also breaks down the TRUTH Framework that affects whether we speak or listen. Delve into the subtle influences that prevent us from voicing our most innovative ideas. Join Megan Reitz in this valuable conversation today.

Generative AI has the fastest take-up of any technology to date. Now, as AI applications are becoming immersed in workplace culture and power, we’re beginning to see how GenAI tools will impact our conversational habits, which direct what we say and who we hear.

Staff at Boeing are still reluctant to speak up about safety problems, even after a door panel on one of its jets recently blew out mid-flight and hundreds of lives were lost in two earlier planes crashes, according to an experts’ report commissioned by the US Federal Aviation Administration.