mistreatment, their accounts were denied, their reputation questioned, their employment terminated, their personal safety attacked, their family bullied, their earnings lost. And silence… deafening silence from so many they once called colleagues or friends.

Again and again, institutions put the burden on those who experience mistreatment and harm to be courageous. And what courage they have shown – these women, and countless others, have changed our world for the better with their voice. Because they refused to be silenced and stood up to betrayal, at great personal cost. It doesn’t have to be this way. I joined the Center for Institutional Courage because it has the potential to create systematic and long lasting change.

Just think: what if institutions were courageous? If our institutions were courageous, we would welcome those who point out areas of disconnect between values and actions. We would listen to them and we would support them. We would not fire them, retaliate against them, question their truth, or bury them in litigation. We would ask them how we can support them, and how we can do better. To achieve institutional courage, we need to re-think organizational structures and processes and create organizations where courage is embedded in every aspect of the culture.

What would it mean for a company to live by their values in their response to harassment and discrimination? We would see responses that put people, and their well-being, over profits. Where doing the right thing would be more important than our discomfort. Where protecting “those in power” would be less important than ensuring the person experiencing the mistreatment is not further harmed. Where apologizing for harm caused would be more important than dollar signs on a spreadsheet with labels of “litigation risk” or “employer brand cost."

This is the power of institutional courage. I firmly believe that not only can we invest in research, education, and outreach that shows us the way to make this a reality in our organizations, but that the time is now. Employees, students, and community members everywhere are expecting and pushing for more, making their voices heard, and voting with their feet. They are looking to be a part of organizations where actions, behaviors, processes, and accountability match values.

Courage is contagious. I am more convinced than ever that the organizations that heed this call for courage and transform themselves will be those who will endure, and those history will remember. The Center for Institutional Courage will provide the tools to realize this change by researching what works, testing solutions in organizations, and educating the world about the transformative power of courage.