Leading From The C-Suite: Michelle Courtney Berry of Workplace Doc On Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective C-Suite Executive
An Interview with Doug Noll
Failing to Communicate the Vision. Leading without clarity, clear directions, and realistic expectations can cause confusion, dismay, frustration, and misalignment within your business or organization — frequent communication about the mission, vision, values, and the “big why” is essential.
As part of our series called “Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective C-Suite Executive,” we had the pleasure of interviewing Michelle Courtney Berry.
Recognizing the importance of resiliency, empathy, and the transformative power of overcoming adversity, Michelle advises, “Embrace your journey with resilience and empathy, for in the tapestry of life’s biggest challenges is the thread of our greatest leadership.”
I had the distinct pleasure of speaking with Michelle Courtney Berry, highly successful leadership development consultant, trauma-informed best-selling author, C-suite confidant, workplace wellness researcher, doctoral scholar, and speaker. Known as the ‘Workplace Doc’™ and Founder/CEO of Courtney Consulting Enterprises and America Rises, Michelle is a best-selling author, acclaimed keynote speaker with two TEDx and SXSW talks to her credit, and a distinguished business leader. She has advised numerous clients ranging from global visionaries, national athletes, and multinational corporations to innovative startups and industry leaders. A graduate of Binghamton University with a dual bachelor of art degree in English, Literature, Rhetoric, and Political Science, Michelle holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational and Risk Communication from Cornell University. As a doctoral researcher in Executive Leadership at LSU, she brings over two decades of consulting experience to her role as an expert on workplace wellness and inclusive team dynamics.
Michelle’s work is informed by her comprehensive understanding of organizational dynamics, the psychology of effective leadership, and a journey of resilience and healing, having overcome significant challenges.
A serial entrepreneur and a certified Usui and Karuna Reiki® Master Teacher, she has founded companies in wellness, healing, and communication that have markedly influenced leadership development worldwide.
Michelle’s career is a testament to her unwavering dedication to her clients. She strives to help them understand and value the interconnectedness of personal well-being and effective leadership. She aims to cultivate visionary leaders at all levels, individuals willing to interrupt the status quo and drive change. In this journey, she ensures that each client feels valued and important, and their growth and success become her top priority.
Michelle’s life mission is to help her clients understand and value the interconnectedness of personal well-being and effective leadership. She is dedicated to cultivating visionary leaders at all levels who are willing to interrupt the status quo and drive change, making each client feel valued and important in their journey. You can follow her lessons, experiences, and insights on “Linked In.”
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
Michelle:
I’m deeply honored to be with you. Sure, I’d love to share that backstory. I’m a GenXer born in Manhattan and raised in the log cabin my father built in the Catskill Mountains. My diverse and talented parents profoundly influenced my upbringing. My mother, a mixed-race, Southern-born writer, Christian, singer, and left-leaning activist, instilled in me a love for the performing arts from a young age, encouraging reading by kindergarten, learning to play the clarinet, singing in the choir, acting in musicals, writing stories and poems, and engaging in political activities at all levels. My Northern-born father, a bit more conservative and agnostic, was athletically and mathematically gifted and taught me a lifelong appreciation of respect for and connection to the earth and nature. He also imparted skills such as forest appreciation, trail hiking, camping, swimming, cooking, hiking, camping, skiing (cross-country and downhill), fishing (ice and otherwise), skating, and gardening. My dad also urged me to break barriers, such as integrating an all-boys riding club at age ten (much to my mother’s chagrin) by learning to ride a motorcycle. This unique combination of influences nurtured a deep resilience, a thirst for risk-taking, and an insatiable curiosity, shaping me into a life of leadership and entrepreneurship.
I grew up expecting to take on adult problems, balancing living in a neighborhood of all people of color from New York City and a primarily white rural K-12 school in a hamlet called Narrowsburg, about a two-hour drive from my birthplace of Manhattan. There, I learned how to navigate a wide array of differences. Shaped by guidance from mentors across various fields, I went on to be called a humanitarian, a politician to watch, and a Renaissance woman. My career, deeply influenced by my parents, who instilled in me a love for the arts, a respect for nature, and a passion for social justice, spans all facets of print and electronic journalism, the arts, health, business, and academia.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
Michelle:
Gladly! Opening for Maya Angelou is one of the best stories ever since I started my career. Having been a lifelong admirer, immersing myself in her literature and witnessing her powerful delivery of the Inaugural Poem, “On the Pulse of Morning,” I sincerely believed our paths would one day cross. And to prove it, having never met her in person, I wrote a poem I imagined I’d show her in the future. This belief materialized when Pokey Croker, then CEO of the Discovery Center, a children’s museum and Board I served on, extended an invitation for me to be Dr. Angelou’s opening poet. Pokey felt like it wasn’t too big of a dream for a small nonprofit to host such a legend.
Backstage at “An Evening with Maya Angelou,” Dr. Angelou’s assistant cleared her throat and waved me over. I stumbled awkwardly through my “hellos.” Then, Ms. Angelou spoke to me in her deep, legendary voice. I almost pinched myself but resisted.
“Ms. Berry, although I love all the serenading by the children and whatnot” (referring to the pre-show elements of which I was a part), I must tell you that I am very anxious to get on that stage and perform. Indeed, as a performer, you must certainly understand,” she declared.
I nodded feebly, kneeling before her, my hands twisting, my voice shaking. I told her I was her opening poet, but my poem was maybe too short, but I would “do my very best.” I shared this information as if I was posing a question rather than making a declarative statement.
“My dear,” Ms. Angelou bellowed, removing the ice pack from her tender knee and wincing, “Never demure!” She leaned in, pointing a finger at me. “You are a proud black woman! Stand tall and honor your poem.”
She rose to her height of six feet (that seemed more like eight feet at the time) and said, “And to make sure that you do just that, Ms. Berry, for you, I will stand.” Then, she escorted me to the edge of the stage and positioned herself to be visible to me but not to the audience.
I had no time to comprehend the enormity of this historic moment. I just knew I’d better deliver.
With a packed audience of over one thousand people before me and Dr. Angelou, a constant presence in my peripheral vision, I felt a surge of energy, the echoes of my ancestors in my ears, and a sudden calmness washed over me. I delivered. Then, it was over.
Offstage, I glided into her outstretched arms. She praised me over and over, folding me into her embrace. “Never stop writing and speaking, not even for a moment. You have a gift,” she said over her shoulder as she strode onto the stage and into wave after wave of thunderous applause.
Never once during her performance did she give any indication of the terrible pain in her knee; not once did she falter. In those fleeting moments backstage, she imparted invaluable life lessons that would shape my leadership journey. She illuminated the distinction between offstage and onstage and urged me to choose love over fear. Her profound, transformative wisdom and warm encouragement continue to guide me. Most importantly, she believed in a young writer and speaker who did not believe in herself.
You can hear the author read this story on Medium.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?
Michelle:
Yes, I certainly do! Let’s see, well, my father pre-dated Nike’s Just Do It™ by many years! What follows is a story excerpted from my book, “Keeping Calm in Chaos: how to work well, live well, and love abundantly no matter what.”
One of my favorite quotes that resonates with this theme is by Eleanor Roosevelt, who said, “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”
Because my father was many years older than my mother, the specter of his eventual death loomed before us. So, I wanted to please and spend as much time with him as possible. Wanting to win my father’s approval, I dove (literally) into his entire world.
Initially afraid of the water like my mom, my parents agreed to pay for swimming camp. I returned home able to swim across our deep, long lake. Although I grew pretty tired halfway across the expanse, I powered through, more afraid of my father’s disapproval than drowning.
My father also “taught” me to ski, showing me how to put on boots, attach skis, handle poles, and release my skis if I began falling. Then, he pushed me down the mountain. “The best way to learn downhill is to ski downhill!” he cried, bellowing with joy behind me. I was determined not to fall or cry out in terror. Instead, I said, “Whoopee, this is the BEST!” thanking God silently as I glided safely to the bottom, on flat land once more. After this one “lesson,” I enrolled in the Night Ski Club to have more comprehensive lessons from more patient instructors.
With daredevil dad aging, convincing him to come down from the mountain and only ski cross-country was easier. So years later, when arthritis claimed his knees, I began to ski alone, using this time to reflect and meditate. I learned to value alone time, sometimes the only human for miles in our Catskill mountain neighborhood of Luxton Lake Estates, skating the ice, with only the hoof-eyed doe skittering nearby. As clumps of snow fell furiously, clinging to the massive evergreens, I recalled when my mother protested that I was too young (at age ten) to learn how to ride a motorcycle. But my father was adamant that I should “integrate” and “infiltrate” the all-boys motorcycle club.
And yup, you guessed it, my first motorcycle lesson was also brief. One fateful summer, my father showed me how to ride a motorcycle for about 20 minutes — steer, use the clutch, shift the gears — and then he jumped off. He was a lousy teacher but a surprise feminist.
The key lesson I learned and applied as a leader, business owner, and C-suite confidant is to gain courage by stepping outside (sometimes way outside of) your comfort zone. My father’s approach, and I’m putting this politely, was unconventional at best, even daunting, but it made me brave in facing challenges, even when frightening, overwhelming, and life-threatening.
I used these skills later as a spokesperson for a city during a line-of-duty death of a police officer, and in other times, once when I was kidnapped (I stayed calm and found an escape route), when I saved a young kid who was drowning, and I didn’t panic when I caught on fire once (remembering to stop, drop, and roll). I wouldn’t say I became fearless because I’m not an advocate of fearlessness; as much as I’m a proponent of recognizing fear and befriending it, knowing when to pursue, abandon course, pivot, or flee can all be wise decisions depending upon the situation. Finally, as a person who has been a pioneer in numerous hiring situations, projects, and diverse opportunities, I realized that my father’s early encouragement to break down barriers and not be afraid to be “the only” opened up opportunities I might have shied away from (mainly since I started as a reasonably reticent kid).
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on your leadership style? Can you share a story or an example of that?
Michelle:
One book that has deeply resonated with me and significantly influenced my leadership style and behaviors is Toni Morrison’s ‘Song of Solomon’ (I’ve read it seven times). This book, which I hold dear, has shaped and redefined my leadership approach. The central themes of identity, self-discovery, and past experiences were informative and struck a chord. Our unresolved childhood issues can significantly impact our work. The characters in the novel, particularly Milkman and Pilate, demonstrate resilience in the face of adversity, a trait I strive to embody in my leadership. The book also addresses moral integrity and justice, which are essential leadership traits. I also gleaned from this book how individual behaviors can have ripple effects throughout communities. Leadership style and expression can influence a community, so one should lead well and reverently. Names are influential; they matter, and your story matters. My business is called Courtney Consulting. Yes, Courtney is my middle name, but it was given to me by a primary caretaker, my Aunt Edessie, who insisted to my mother that I had to have this middle name and argued that ‘Courtney’ was tied to being a famous speaker and writer one day. Although she died when I was a baby, her legacy lives on.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
Michelle:
With extensive experience in leadership, wellness coaching, and stress management consulting, I take pride in helping bolster the leadership efforts of today’s visionary leaders. As the founder and CEO of multiple businesses and a trusted coach to leading CEOs, Presidents, startup champions, athletes, and nonprofit executives, I offer a unique perspective on fostering resilient, healthy, mindful, and ethical work cultures. My consulting spans healthcare, finance, law, government, and human resources, helping leaders champion employee well-being and inclusive practices, leading to improved mental health and overall job satisfaction.
My brand, “Workplace Doc,” ™ represents my expertise in wellness, stress management, and executive leadership, combined with a deep understanding of workplace behavior psychology. As a doctoral scholar in Executive Leadership, I address organizational distress’s root causes, developing interventions that promote mental wellness, enhance leadership, and foster an inclusive culture.
My journey of overcoming stress and burnout adds authenticity to my work. Starting my consulting business in 1990 while completing my graduate studies in Organizational/Risk Communication at Cornell University, I expanded my focus from speaking, training, and PR to stress management and wellness coaching, driven by my experiences with stress and trauma-informed approaches. This journey has inspired me to help others navigate stress and burnout, fostering inspiration and connection.
My signature program, “Working Well, one day at a time®,” empowers leaders to excel while promoting well-being, resilience, and inclusivity within their organizations. Success stories from leaders like Jon Harrod, CEO of Snug Planet, and Christopher Michalak, CEO of Virgin Pulse, highlight the program’s impact. My achievements include being a best-selling author, award-winning researcher, and a speaker at TEDx and SXSW. I have appeared on “Good Morning America” and “O” Magazine and cherished the opportunities to open for Maya Angelou, Howard Zinn, and The Dalai Lama.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Michelle:
One story encapsulates the leadership traits essential to my success: Courage (Conviction under Pressure), Innovative Thinking, and Communication Skills. This story is one I refer to as: “The Leaky Roof, Meryl Streep, and Pesticides: What Started it All.” Thirty years or so ago, I launched my consulting business while completing my graduate degree at Cornell University, where I majored in communication with a focus on risk, crisis, and organizational communication. One of my advisors was supposed to attend a Washington, D.C. conference but had to stay home to fix a leaky roof, so he sent me to his place.
At the conference, I was fascinated by health, leadership, and risk communication discussions, though I noticed a need for more women and people of color in the audience. The event coincided with a public outcry over ALAR, a chemical used on apples, following a 1989 NRDC report and a CBS “60 Minutes” segment highlighting potential cancer risks to children. Meryl Streep’s involvement in the campaign against ALAR added to the controversy.
During a panel discussion, attendees criticized celebrity involvement and public hysteria over ALAR. Nervously, I stood up and suggested that instead of dismissing public fears, they should simplify their scientific messages into sound bites that resonate with the general public. This approach would better address public concerns and counter celebrity influence.
After the panel, the head of Michigan’s Department of Agriculture approached me, impressed by my ideas. He later invited me to speak at a national conference, marking the beginning of my consulting and speaking career. This experience solidified my interest in health communication and mindfulness, leading to a lifetime of public speaking and wellness advocacy.
Essential Leadership Traits Demonstrated:
Courage (Conviction under Pressure): Standing up and challenging the status quo in a room full of experts led to my first speaking and consulting contract, highlighting the importance of courage in leadership.
Innovation: Proposing practical solutions to communication gaps between scientists and the public demonstrated innovative thinking, crucial for navigating complexity and solving problems.
Communication: Breaking down complex ideas into accessible messages is vital for effective leadership. My ability to communicate clearly and engagingly has enabled me to promote employee well-being and ethical leadership globally.
Let me sneak in a fourth: A sense of humor is essential. People who take themselves very seriously really should not. They are often quite dull.
Leadership often entails making difficult decisions or hard choices between two apparently good paths. Can you share a story with us about a hard decision or choice you had to make as a leader?
Michelle:
I write about the challenges facing today’s leaders, drawing from personal experience. The COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted my consulting, speaking, and training business with canceled conferences, grounded travel, and slashed budgets. Tough decisions were required to adapt to the new reality.
Without VC funding and being self-funded, I pivoted to online executive coaching after work hours and on weekends. I leveraged my marketing background to work full-time during the day as a Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Consultant to HR, helping a financial institution rebrand and boost employee wellness during the crisis. I also trained C-suite leaders in crisis management and communications.
Balancing a full-time job during the day with my part-time business allowed me to gain on-the-ground C-suite experience. This experience enriched my consulting services when I returned to running my business full-time post-COVID and provided a deeper understanding of executive challenges during crises.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Most of our readers — in fact, most people — think they have a pretty good idea of what a C-Suite executive does. But in just a few words can you explain what a C-Level executive does that is different from the responsibilities of other leaders?
Michelle:
C-level executives are uniquely responsible for setting the vision for the entire organization while managing and clarifying complexity amidst competing forces and agendas. Execs must lead by example, pivot quickly, and face down enormous challenges while balancing resources fairly, innovatively, mindfully, and creatively.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a C-Suite executive? Can you explain what you mean?
Michelle:
There are three fairly common myths I know about C-suite executives.
1. Myth: C-Suite Executives Are Lone Wolves
The image of the C-suite executive as a ‘lone wolf’ was once the norm, but times have thankfully changed. Today’s leaders are not solitary figures but collaborative team players who need refined social skills to navigate and drive change.
2. Myth: C-Suite Roles Have Static Job Descriptions
The skill sets required for C-suite roles continue to evolve, and cross-collaboration with team members is not only encouraged, but a necessity. Due to technological advancements, rapid market changes, or the challenges wrought in this complex, post-pandemic environment, continuous learning and flexibility are paramount.
3. Myth: C-Suite Executives Should Hide Their Failures
The impervious leader mythology has led to overcompensation, extreme perfectionism, burnout, and attrition. I remember when we were encouraged to hide our failures as if failing was shameful. Learning from our failures and sharing those potent lessons can drive innovation, growth, and transformation.
What are the most common leadership mistakes you have seen C-Suite leaders make when they start leading a new team? What can be done to avoid those errors?
Michelle:
Prioritizing Popularity, Having “Favorites.” Seeking to be liked by everyone and avoiding conflict invites disharmony and other workplace woes. Instead, focus on building trust through humility, honesty, and empathy. These traits foster transparency, create climates of mutual respect, and heighten feelings of safety for all. I once saw a new CEO form a “Core Four” subgroup (that included only one woman and no people of color) out of this total senior team of ten persons. This favoritism led to divisions, competition, and resentment. Avoid such outcomes by treating all team members with fairness and equality.
Surrounding Yourself with Sycophants. Groupthink deeply undermines independent decision-making and stifles creativity and innovation. Encourage your people to speak without fear of critique, loss of power, and other forms of retaliatory behavior. Invite them to challenge the status quo, examine assumptions, and offer alternative perspectives.
Micromanaging and Dominating. Many new leaders, unsure of their roles, tend to micromanage everyone and everything, leading to high turnover rates. To retain good people, empower them by delegating tasks while providing the right balance of support and resources. Trust more, talk less, and listen more.
Neglecting Self-Care. Promoting employee well-being through HR is easy, but practicing what you preach is crucial. As a leader, physical, mental, and emotional health directly impacts your ability to lead effectively and mindfully while setting a positive example for others.
Failing to Communicate the Vision. Leading without clarity, clear directions, and realistic expectations can cause confusion, dismay, frustration, and misalignment within your business or organization — frequent communication about the mission, vision, values, and the “big why” is essential.
In your experience, which aspect of running a company tends to be most underestimated? Can you explain or give an example?
Michelle:
From my journey, I’ve realized that one of the most overlooked aspects of managing a company is the profound link between health and wealth and how stress and time management can impact your bottom line. Recognizing the importance of setting boundaries and knowing when to stop working is crucial. Continuously pushing oneself can lead to a compromised immune system, health issues, weight fluctuations, sleep deprivation, and neglect of self-care.
Many leaders need to recognize the severe impact of stress and burnout on employee productivity, morale, and overall organizational health. We set the tone, so employee burnout is often our fault. In my book, ‘Keeping Calm in Chaos,’ I delve into how stress, trauma, and rapid change impact individuals and organizations. It’s a common oversight for leaders to neglect the creation of a supportive environment that places who put mental health and well-being on the backburner. By prioritizing employee well-being (beyond lip service), we can boost organizational performance and foster a happier and more resilient workforce, leading to tremendous success for our business enterprises.
Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective C-Suite Executive”? If you can, please share a story or an example for each.
Michelle:
1. A Holistic Wellness Advocate
Holistic wellness is not just a strategy for leadership effectiveness but a personal journey that can transform your business and life. Take the example of my client Jon Harrod, a founder and CEO, who, by prioritizing nutrition and exercise, experienced an immediate improvement in health and energy and a boost in signed business contracts. This demonstrates how holistic wellness can positively impact both personal and business aspects. When leaders understand how their physical, mental, and emotional health creates capacity, they move, innovate, think, live mindfully, and enhance personal and organizational resiliency.
2. A Talented Tightrope Walker
Effective C-Suite leaders navigate the delicate high-wire act of balancing the needs of the business with those of employees, stakeholders, and gatekeepers. One crucial element in this delicate act, perhaps the most crucial, is trust-building. Leaders who can build and sustain trust are not just more likely to ensure success, but they are also more likely to foster a positive and productive work environment. For example, leaders in a health consortium in sixteen contiguous counties in Upstate New York elevated both brand awareness and member enthusiasm by first listening deeply to members and then being willing to vary outreach strategies by various municipalities. This enhanced trust was not just tied to increased compliance, but it also led to a more cohesive and collaborative solution-building, demonstrating the importance of trust in leadership success.
3. A Strategic, Empathetic Communicator Who Truly Listens, Admits Mistakes, Takes Corrective Action
Influential executives communicate the vision, inspire teams, and address complex challenges with clarity, empathy, and authenticity. By practicing strategic communication rooted in empathy, leaders can help their teams manage stress, navigate change and conflict, and strengthen their resilience. When coupled with deep listening, implementing employee suggestions, and having the humility to admit mistakes, these approaches can significantly reduce attrition and boost morale. CEO of JP Morgan Chase & CO, Jamie Dimon, is a prime example of this leadership style. His willingness to admit mistakes and take corrective action has fostered respect from employees and created an environment where they feel valued and heard, leading to the company’s success
4. An Adaptable, Continuous, Curious Learner
Adaptability and continuous learning aren’t just “nice-to-haves” for any C-Suite executive’s toolbox; they are “must-haves” in today’s rapidly changing business landscape. The teacher is forever the student! Despite dropping out of Harvard and tackling many setbacks, Bill Gates’ resilience and willingness to learn from failures allowed him to build one of the most successful technology companies in the world. One of my clients, Christine Garde Denning, is the founder and CEO of CouldYou? exemplifies adaptability through her innovative approaches and willingness to pivot in response to emerging challenges and opportunities. Denning’s work with CouldYou? Includes innovative solutions to period poverty, such as introducing menstrual cups in rural Ghana. Gates and Denning’s successes required adaptability, a thirst for lifelong learning, patience, and pivoting. A spirit of lifelong, curious, and continuous learning not only helps leaders stay ahead of the curve but also empowers them to navigate conflict and change with humility and grace. It is this adaptability and thirst for knowledge that sets successful leaders apart.
5. A Courageous Interrupter, Disruptor, and Eradicator of Toxic Work Cultures
In today’s fast-paced post-pandemic business world, toxic workplace environments are a pervasive issue, significantly ratcheting up job stress (the #1 threat to mental health globally) and impacting employee well-being and organizational culture. Noxious environments cost us morally and financially (in the U.S., it is a $360 million loss; internationally, it is over a trillion dollars lost annually). Toxic workplace cultures, characterized by manipulative behaviors, lack of transparency, corrosive communication, and abusive leadership practices, have emerged as a critical leadership issue with profound implications for employee mental health, well-being, and business sustainability. Therefore, it is incumbent upon visionary executives to interrupt, disrupt, and eradicate inherited toxic work cultures. A year after Mavericks’ Owner Mark Cuban strategically hired HR expert and new CEO Cynthia Marshall, employees reported “a sea change” in their workplace, with “a newfound emphasis on respect, inclusion, and accountability.” With toxic behaviors that once plagued the organization addressed, the workplace became a model of positive cultural change in professional sports.
In your opinion, what are a few ways that executives can help to create a fantastic work culture? Can you share a story or an example?
Michelle:
Executives can create a fantastic work culture by focusing on critical elements, such as fostering psychological safety, promoting inclusivity, and encouraging participatory management. Here are a few specific ways executives can achieve this:
1. In Addition to Physical Safety, Foster Psychological Safety
Executives should understand that fostering both physical and psychological safety is crucial. When these two elements are in place, teams are more likely to experience a decrease in fear of making mistakes, an increase in the willingness to admit them, and the ability to take calculated risks with big pay-offs. I worked with a governmental agency in the Midwest, where we explored the benefits of creating physical safety and ‘psychological safety nets’ for their employees. The employees could envision these nets and describe their components some of which included more joy, less stress, more support, and increased innovation.
2. Promote Inclusive Management
Executives play a crucial and empowering role in promoting inclusive management. It’s their responsibility to lead by example, actively seeking diverse perspectives, encouraging equal participation, and addressing power imbalances by promoting leadership at every organizational level. When senior leaders behave inclusively, their teams are likelier to emulate these behaviors, leading to a more cohesive and productive work environment. This approach improves employee engagement, reduces turnover, and enhances organizational performance.
3. Encourage Participatory Management
Participatory management, which encourages employees to engage in decision-making processes and contribute to improving organizational practices, is a powerful tool. This approach enhances employee engagement and promotes a sense of ownership and accountability. However, the key is for executives to be sincere in seeking feedback and listening to employees’ concerns and suggestions. Moving beyond deep listening, the next step is to implement those employee-driven suggestions, wherever feasible. This both fosters trust and respect and significantly contributes to a positive work culture and improved organizational performance
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
Michelle:
Thank you so much! As a doctoral scholar, avid researcher, and business leader, I’m obsessed with ending toxic work and partnering with visionaries globally who wish to interrupt, disrupt, and eradicate toxic work cultures in less than a generation. Let’s call it #toxicmetoo and get moving! As you know, poisonous workplace environments have emerged as a pervasive issue, significantly impacting employee well-being and organizational culture. Noxious environments cost us morally and financially (in the U.S., it is a $360 million loss; internationally, it is over a trillion dollars annually!). I conducted a recent study with diverse respondents in the nation by age, ethnicity, and income called “Workplace Coping Mechanisms and Leadership Styles Survey,” which sheds light on the detrimental effects of noxious workplaces and the pivotal role of the kinds of leadership in either exacerbating or alleviating these conditions. By highlighting the pervasiveness of toxic workplaces, the detrimental impacts of toxic leadership, the need for more employee coping mechanisms, and the desire for ethical leadership, this #toxicmetoo campaign could resonate widely, sparking a national and international movement that brings about positive change!
How can our readers further follow you online?
Michelle:
I’d love to welcome followers! On LinkedIn — on Instagram on Facebook
And my two websites: MichelleCourtneyBerry.com and ToxicMeToo
Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
Michelle:
This has been a great interview. I’m honored to have been asked to share. Thank you.
About the Interviewer: Douglas E. Noll, JD, MA was born nearly blind, crippled with club feet, partially deaf, and left-handed. He overcame all of these obstacles to become a successful civil trial lawyer. In 2000, he abandoned his law practice to become a peacemaker. His calling is to serve humanity, and he executes his calling at many levels. He is an award-winning author, teacher, and trainer. He is a highly experienced mediator. Doug’s work carries him from international work to helping people resolve deep interpersonal and ideological conflicts. Doug teaches his innovative de-escalation skill that calms any angry person in 90 seconds or less. With Laurel Kaufer, Doug founded Prison of Peace in 2009. The Prison of Peace project trains life and long terms incarcerated people to be powerful peacemakers and mediators. He has been deeply moved by inmates who have learned and applied deep, empathic listening skills, leadership skills, and problem-solving skills to reduce violence in their prison communities. Their dedication to learning, improving, and serving their communities motivates him to expand the principles of Prison of Peace so that every human wanting to learn the skills of peace may do so. Doug’s awards include California Lawyer Magazine Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers in America Lawyer of the Year, Purpose Prize Fellow, International Academy of Mediators Syd Leezak Award of Excellence, National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals Neutral of the Year. His four books have won a number of awards and commendations. Doug’s podcast, Listen With Leaders, is now accepting guests. Click on this link to learn more and apply.
