The Courage Graph

Once again today, clarification by quadrants.

There are work environments that exude courage and innovation.
There are work environments that live in a state of fear and the status quo.

I want to lead and to work in the former. Not the latter.

Everything depends on encouragement. True encouragement. Not the stuff of foam and froth and empty words meaning nothing at all. But encouragement that breaths life and true courage into our ideas and our work.

There are two factors necessary for this to happen.

1. High Expectations
2. Personalized recognition

Without high amounts of both factors, the result is going to be something else.

Here’s the XY chart.

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Quadrant 1

Low expectations with no personal recognition result in an assembly line environment. It’s a soul-sucking workplace. No one wants to stay here.

Quadrant 2

High expectations with no personal recognition produce a boot camp environment. A place where the workers are recruits and the leader is a drill sergeant. While this works for the US Marines, it’s not a great environment for software development.

Quadrant 3

A high level of personalized recognition with low expectations is a pre-school environment. The leader is a teacher in a place where everyone wins. Everyone gets a trophy. No one wants to be treated like children. Not even children.

Quadrant 4

This is the place of courage - and the quadrant for exceptional leaders. High expectations with highly personalized recognition (specific recognition, rather than general “attaboys”) result in a people encouraged and empowered - with the courage to innovate.

Great leaders don’t need a position.

Great leaders empower people with encouragement to create and innovate with high expectations coupled with personalized recognition.

And folks armed with courage are pretty much unstoppable.