“When we create a culture that rewards collaboration and cooperation, we actively encourage our team members to behave in that way. When we reward aggressiveness, this spreads throughout the organization like “a virus”.  And while it might seem productive to create a red zone filled with star performers, eventually these individuals will be more concerned with trying to take each other out.       Your star performers will very quickly become less than average.” (Jim Tamm: Cultivating Collaboration)

Do YOU Get Defensive?  I will admit freely that as a life-time innovator and idea person…early in my career I would get quickly defensive if someone questioned my concept or new way of “getting-the-job-done”!  It would be easy to hide behind the excuse that it was just human nature…right?  However, it didn’t take me too long to realize that by getting defensive…I often drove colleagues away and maybe even lost their always needed support.

It is critical to realize that there are absolutely NO positives in taking a defensive posture on anything.  Co-workers will not want to work with you.  Bosses will treat you in a guarded way and not include you in high-value discussions.  And customers will “keep their distance” if you get defensive even when they just ask a regular product/service question.

Finally if you apply the Do YOU Get Defensive? question with regard to your style as a leader…do you see yourself as open to questions…comment and/or critique?  And don’t compare being defensive…with being confident.  Your conduct/messaging will be worlds apart in how it is perceived by others. 

Remember being defensive will always put you in the NEGATIVE category.