I often hear from people who are worried about stepping on the toes of others so they hold back or forgo involvement altogether as their fear outweighs the perceived benefits. It is such a loss of creativity and wisdom.
If you have ideas that transcend your narrow scope of responsibility and are hesitant to share them, you can smooth the way by indicating your intent upfront. If you clearly communicate that your goal is to make the organization better, it may make your idea more palatable than if your motives are unclear and could be perceived as trying to outshine another. Rather than resisting, the other party may actually cede the floor to you and allow you to do your dance without disruption.
If there is pushback, take steps to gradually impact the culture that causes these barriers. Ask for advice from the resisters on how your area might do things differently. Publicly praise those who contribute constructive feedback or provide alternative solutions. Reward those who see the bigger picture and offer system-wide suggestions.
Watch for signs that your staff is holding back and do all you can to get them to open up. “Under-stepping” is more detrimental to organizations than overstepping is.
