Too many leaders let the favorable power dynamics get to their head, and that irresistible dopaminergic pathway puts a cap on organizational/ societal progress. And then there are the well-meaning but not super effective leaders. Sometimes I like to read idealistic and optimistic articles and imagine myself in those positions. https://hbr.org/2026/03/how-leaders-can-build-a-high-agency-culture The high lasts about 10 seconds
Curious what people here have seen: is it usually pressure from above that kills honest reporting, or does it start with the team protecting itself? I've seen both, and they feel different to fix.
I think that’s the gap. A lot of leadership writing treats agency like a mindset problem, when in practice it becomes a structural problem pretty quickly. People can have plenty of agency and still learn that using it honestly is expensive.
That’s where the return loop matters to me. If the system rewards leaders for reassurance more than accuracy, even good people start sanding the truth down before it reaches the top. High agency culture only survives if contradiction has somewhere safe and useful to land.
Otherwise it becomes another nice phrase pinned above a dashboard that everyone knows is lying.
Too many leaders let the favorable power dynamics get to their head, and that irresistible dopaminergic pathway puts a cap on organizational/ societal progress. And then there are the well-meaning but not super effective leaders. Sometimes I like to read idealistic and optimistic articles and imagine myself in those positions. https://hbr.org/2026/03/how-leaders-can-build-a-high-agency-culture The high lasts about 10 seconds
Curious what people here have seen: is it usually pressure from above that kills honest reporting, or does it start with the team protecting itself? I've seen both, and they feel different to fix.
That “high lasts about 10 seconds” line is real.
I think that’s the gap. A lot of leadership writing treats agency like a mindset problem, when in practice it becomes a structural problem pretty quickly. People can have plenty of agency and still learn that using it honestly is expensive.
That’s where the return loop matters to me. If the system rewards leaders for reassurance more than accuracy, even good people start sanding the truth down before it reaches the top. High agency culture only survives if contradiction has somewhere safe and useful to land.
Otherwise it becomes another nice phrase pinned above a dashboard that everyone knows is lying.