Post by Ben-Jamin Toy, HSG

If you open today's Leading On Purpose newsletter and think your phone or email app is glitching... don't panic. But, the sky is falling. Once you make it past the atmosphere, you’ll reach a massive UH-OH moment that nearly every leader faces at some point... the temptation to deflect. In the latest episode of UH-OH Conversations with Cohesive Leaders, Dr. Troy and I spoke with Jason Peach, CCE, President and CEO of West Community Credit Union. When the Federal Reserve hiked interest rates by over 500 basis points in a single year, the intense pressure mounted. Jason’s initial instinct to point outward at the historic, macro-economic storm was entirely human. He was factually right. He didn't cause hyperinflation. But being right doesn't mean you're leading. When a crisis hits, we naturally want to build a wall of excuses to protect our egos. But to your team and your board, that armor just looks like deflection. When you spend all your time explaining why you aren't in the center of the issue, you unconsciously convince people that you aren't equipped to fix it either. Everything shifted for Jason when he traded his armor for radical ownership. He looked his team in the eye, owned their strategy, and immediately shifted from defense to offense. A cohesive culture cannot survive a defensive leader. Even if a crisis is triggered by something 100% outside of your control, the solution is entirely your responsibility. What's an external challenge you're facing right now where you need to trade your armor for radical ownership? #LeadingOnPurpose #RadicalOwnership #CohesiveCulture #Accountability #ExecutiveLeadership #YellowCamoCrew