Many leaders are convinced they have an open environment that encourages employees to speak up and are shocked when they learn that employees are holding back. Employees have ideas and want to be heard. Leadership wants to hear them. Employees and leaders both feel that no one cares about making things better. The disconnect only widens over time, with both sides becoming more firmly entrenched in their viewpoints. Becoming a courageous culture means building teams of micro innovators, problem solvers, and customer advocates working together. A micro innovator is the employee who consistently seeks out small, but powerful, ways to improve the business. A problem solver is the employee who cares about what’s not working and wants to make it better. They uncover and speak openly about what’s not working and think critically about how to fix it. A customer advocate is the employee who sees through your customers’ eyes and speaks up on their behalf. They actively look for ways to improve customers’ experience and minimize customer frustrations. In our world of rapid change, a courageous culture is your competitive advantage. It ensures that your company is “sticky” for both customers and employees.