How do you define what you term the 'fearless organisation'

What are the main steps towards creating such an environment?

Could a fearless organisation also challenge company discipline?

Are there measurable drawbacks in productivity caused by a ‘yes-man’ culture?

Certainly — data shows us that teams with high p sycholog ic a l safety, where people can speak up, are more productive and perform better than those without this. Also, many business failures are preventable events which occurred because people were too afraid to express their views. Consider the Wells Fargo banking scandal where people feared pointing out flaws in targets and methods. A top-down,command-and-control approach leads to people going along with actions that can damage a brand.

What is 'extreme teaming'?

Modern teamwork is dynamic — instead of teams which stay together for a long time, we now see people assigned rapidly to different teams, working on complex projects needing diverse expertise. ‘Extreme teaming’ describes teamwork not just within one organisation but across organisations, where different people need to work together but are not beholden to the same bosses or ideals. Yet, they must collaborate successfully. A good example of extreme teaming is the Lake Nona Medical City project in Florida. A new city had to be built from scratch with a focus on healthcare and energy efficiency. It took about a decade and involved crossboundary collaboration between government, property developers, healthcare groups, sustainable energy experts, etc.

Why do you write that today’s business leaders should express vulnerability and not bravado?

Vulnerability is a fact — every leader faces events outside their control. Bravado is a state where you are unwilling to acknowledge this. Yet, everybody knows there are challenges involved. If leaders are not honest about this, people don’t trust them and become less likely to contribute in full to an enterprise. Being genuine and straightforward can be very inspiring. Leaders should acknowledge the novelty of a situation and say, ‘I believe we have what it takes to navigate this.’ That is an incredibly exciting invitation for people to do their best work. Examples of such leadership include Edwin Catmull, CEO and cofounder of Pixar, and Eileen Fisher who founded the eponymous clothing brand. Alongside their success, they also communicate an inspiring modesty, honesty and humour.

What is the most important lesson climate change holds now?

Climate change is a profound challenge for all — only businesses that take this seriously will be in a position to innovate, thrive and make a positive difference to a new world. As businesses, teams and people, we’re often trained to care more about the present over the future though — we must overcome this mindset now if we don’t want it to be our undoing.