It’s commonplace to look at behaviour and culture when times are challenging, rather than at the moments when we are shining. Research tells us that as humans, we are hardwired to focus on negatives, and to look at what needs fixing rather than at what is going well. For those of us who have sat through hours of management training, forcing ourselves and our teams into models and systems almost exclusively designed by men, it takes us straight back to Edward de Bono’s black hat. This is the “thinking hat” which is associated with looking for risks, drawbacks and worst-case scenarios. It can feel rather negative, but it is essential to deploy this hat as a leader and particularly as a board. The key with de Bono’s critical thinking model is that we deploy all six hats – or ways of thinking – to analyse problems and create solutions. Often we find ourselves wearing one hat or fixing the hats on members of the team.

Of course, we need to examine and analyse what went wrong, to learn lessons. But how often do we forensically examine what went right? We can apply so much of what we learn from success to our challenges. Celebration is wonderful and praise usually well received. This approach also allows teams to consolidate success and focus on good behaviours and outcomes, which is crucial for developing or maintaining a good culture. It’s also a great way to encourage those behaviours, model them and link them to organisational progress.