202110181231 Don't tacitly endorse bad behaviors

Sometimes it's easier to let a bad behavior continue than have the difficult conversations about stopping it. This is especially the case when the behavior doesn't seem to be too problematic. However, it's equally important in these scenarios to have the conversation and change the behavior.

If we don't change the behavior, then as leaders who are ultimately accountable for our teams, their culture, and their performance, we're implicitly saying that we endorse that behavior. There is no middle ground for the leader.

It's easier to hold your principles 100 percent of the time than it is to hold them 98 percent of the time.¹

Tacit endorsement (or rejection) of behaviors is also effective with peers. For instance, it's a viable approach to 202203241127 Overcoming poor performance of a peer.