Setting ground rules for safety and accountability
Storytellers not only need to be appreciated for sharing perspectives we may, often, otherwise not be exposed to but they also deserve to be protected from the potential risks that come with sharing, some of which have already been mentioned. In addition, frustrations that may be expressed by storytellers who encounter being ostracized, judged, or boxed into a specific type of cultural template may be dismissed as an “over- reaction” by those with privileges not afforded to the storytellers. Leaders cannot allow such acts of organizational shunning or retaliation. As someone who has experienced collective retaliation by members of an institution who possessed more organizational and societal power, I have not only had to deal with the pain of being targeted for sharing a narrative that went against the status quo, but I also had to witness how those attackers remained shielded by leadership who shared privileged identities (and funding interests…) with them. This is one of the quickest ways to lose folks who could otherwise be enriching otherwise unidimensional collective perspective and with it, could reduce groupthink (in other words enrich unchallenged, unidimensional, and, often, poor-quality thinking). I talk about this more when I address toxic leadership and organizational toxicity in other content coming your way. The following practices will help set the tone for a more inclusive experience for the storyteller, as well as lay the foundation for the folks receiving the story so that they are able to more fully utilize an opportunity that is likely to lead to growth:
- Setting Rules of Conduct is necessary for any social interaction, including storytelling situations where active listening, respectful engagement, and self-regulation are a must. A general organizational culture that fosters civil behaviour rather than solely condemns uncivil behaviour is helpful to set the stage. However, leaders must be ready to hold themselves and others accountable if rules of conduct are broken and communicate potential repercussions early on in the process.
- For those who will receive the stories, building emotional intelligence by utilizing perspective-taking strategies to minimize the likelihood of falling prey to the above-mentioned attribution error is needed. Recognizing inter-connectedness through finding ways to relate to others’ experiences without assuming one knows how the experience feels is best. In addition, engage in practices that help exercise self-regulation and self-awareness in order to encourage flexible thinking, actively searching for alternative explanations for someone’s behaviour beyond the often readily-available default presumptions. Seeking out a coach (for 1:1 or group coaching) who is well-versed in these social psychological factors would be valuable to minimize potential future harm to the storytellers by preventing as much interpersonal rejection as possible.
- Consult the pdf guide shared in the storytelling intro post for additional questions/points to consider.
After the precious time, effort, and courage it took for folks to share their stories, our role as leaders does not end once the storyelling process is over. Stories are there to inspire us in order to ignite action. There is great opportunity to make a collective difference. Click here for Part 5, the last part in this series.