Jessica HickmanThought Leader | TEDx Speaker | 2 x Author | Leadership

My main inspiration for writing my recent book “The Upstander Leader"

Name: My main inspiration for writing my recent book “The Upstander Leader"
Uploaded: 2023-02-16T21:21:43+00:00
Duration: 1 min 54 s
Channel: Jessica Hickman
Description: In this excerpt from a multi‑speaker discussion, the participants recount personal experiences of chronic workplace bullying and the systemic failure to…

16 Feb 2023 · 2 min

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1:54

In this excerpt from a multi‑speaker discussion, the participants recount personal experiences of chronic workplace bullying and the systemic failure to act on repeated reports—one speaker logged 32 complaints that were met with empty promises and leader inaction. They identify a core problem: the bystander effect, where everyday employees and even managers witness toxic behavior but feel powerless or lack training to intervene. The conversation highlights how modern leaders are expected to manage complex human needs—rising isolation, loneliness, depression, and anxiety—yet are often unequipped, leading some to become passive bystanders themselves. Recognizing these gaps, the speakers explain that the insights inspired the creation of a leadership toolkit and guide, embodied in the new book “The Upstander Leader,” aimed at Australian leaders to shift culture from passive observation to active upstanding, providing practical tools for recognizing, intervening in, and preventing workplace toxicity.

Chapters

Unfortunately, we're always going to have bullies and perpetrators of injustice and people they prey on and target, but I realized there was a massive issue with, uh, bystanders. So throughout rolling out this workshop time and time again, I realized that power and influence around change was educating those bystanders, the everyday people in business that see the toxic behavior and makes them feel uncomfortable, sometimes stand by, walk by, or accept it because that's the cultural norm. And I found out tiny peb again that sometimes people had awareness of what was happening because it made them uncomfortable and they witnessed it day in, day out, but they defused responsibility and they didn't have the capability or training to know where to get help or how to speak out. So I realized in my workplace that I reported the bullying 32 times. Wow.
Yeah, 32 times I had mixed promises, you know, told that they would deal with it, to feel responsibility, and multiple leaders turn a blind eye or just, you know, put it in the too hard basket. And it took, it took a collapse and a burnout and leaving to actually, for me to realize how detrimental that is. So in my new book, I realized that leaders in Australia are struggling. They are really good at their job or trade, and that's often why we get promoted, right?
Because we're confident human beings.
And skilled, but then they're expected to know how to manage complex human beings.
And as we've seen in the last couple of years, you know, human needs, you know, we need extra help at work, we are feeling isolation, loneliness, depression, anxiety, yet people are given the title of leader, leaders, and expected to manage, you know, complex human beings, be good at their job, and successfully lead.
So, I realise that sometimes leaders become bystanders or diffuse responsibility because they feel overwhelmed or they simply haven't been given the tools to understand the complexities of a toxic workplace and how detrimental it can be.
So, understanding that and researching what's widely known as the bystander effect, I realised that let's not accept this as the status quo in Australia.
Why not focus on what I call the Upstander Effect, which is switching the pendulum from bystander behaviours to upstander behaviours with a toolkit and a leadership guide on how to create thriving workplace culture. And I've road-tested it for like 2 and a half years now, the concept, in industries, got feedback from leaders, and then packaged it all up in a toolkit and a guide to help people Drive away.