Leadership culture and performance culture are concepts that are widely discussed in organisations across Europe. Yet what they truly mean in practice is something I did not learn in a seminar. Instead, I learned it at the annual convention of the National Speakers Association in Austin, Texas, where more than 1,000 professional speakers from around the world gathered – and where I had the honour of receiving the international designation as a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP).
The most important insight from this journey, however, had nothing to do with rhetoric. It had everything to do with people.
When Success Is Celebrated Rather Than Scrutinised
Within just a few hours, more than 500 colleagues came to congratulate me warmly. They showed genuine interest in my work and openly shared their own experiences. Many of them are among the most successful speakers in North America. Nevertheless, what impressed me most was not their success. It was their generosity.
Nobody was afraid to share their knowledge. Nobody worried that someone else might benefit as a result. Instead, there was a palpable joy whenever colleagues received recognition or reached a new milestone.
I could not help but think of many organisations – and unfortunately also of our political culture. How often do people speak not with each other, but about each other? Because mistrust rarely begins with a major conflict. It begins with a casual remark in the corridor, a dig in a meeting or a small comment that quietly undermines someone else’s success.
Leadership Culture and Performance Culture: The Difference Lies in the Tone
Robert Cavett, the founder of the National Speakers Association, captured this mindset decades ago: rather than worrying about how the existing pie is divided, the focus should be on making the pie bigger together.
What a thought. And what a contrast to a competitive culture in which success is met with suspicion rather than shared ambition. For me, this is precisely the defining difference between a genuine performance culture and one that holds people back from reaching their potential. Although competition exists in both environments, the underlying tone changes everything.
In the U.S., the CSP is the highest honor in the public speaking industry. Photo: private
A Conversation I Will Not Forget
One encounter moved me particularly deeply. I had the opportunity to speak at length with William “T” Thompson, today the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Speakers Association and one of the most respected figures in our industry.
His story, however, begins very differently from what one might expect. As one of the first Black students to attend a high school previously reserved exclusively for white students, he rode the school bus under police protection. His parents gave him a sentence that has stayed with me ever since: you can always do more than you think you can – and deal with more than you ever thought you could.
William Thompson lived those words. He became the first Black flight instructor in the US Air Force, spent 26 years as a commercial pilot with Delta Air Lines, subsequently studied law, became an attorney and later served as the longest-tenured Commissioner of Aeronautics in the state of Massachusetts – under four governors from both parties.
On the flight back to Germany, I found myself asking: how often do young people hear something like that today? And perhaps even more importantly: how often do employees hear something like that from their leaders? Because courage rarely emerges on its own. It grows where people believe in one another.
What a Strong Leadership Culture Looks Like in Practice
This spirit of mutual support was visible throughout the entire convention. When colleagues fall ill, others step in as a matter of course – often without a fee, so that the speaker who is unwell does not suffer financially. Initiatives such as Cigar PEG have raised nearly one million US dollars for charitable causes over the years, sustained by a community that treats generosity as something entirely natural.
Of course, competition exists in the United States too. Not everything is perfect. However, the underlying tone is different – and it is precisely that tone which shapes leadership culture and performance culture over the long term.
In a genuine performance culture, success is not met with suspicion. It is celebrated – and celebrated wholeheartedly.
Perhaps what Europe needs is not more discussions about modern leadership, but more people who genuinely congratulate others on their success. More people who ask: what can I learn from you? Rather than: why is it them and not me?
Because where people support rather than undermine one another, innovation, trust and outstanding performance follow naturally. And that is precisely where good leadership begins.
How do you experience this in your professional environment – are successes celebrated together, or viewed with a degree of scepticism?
Dr. Nikolai A. Behr CSP® ist Keynote Speaker, Kommunikationsexperte und Medientrainer für Führung, Vertrauen und empathische Kommunikation in Zeiten von Wandel und KI.