“He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” — Viktor Frankl
Viktor Frankl’s words have always struck me as a powerful reminder of the relationship between purpose and human behaviour. When we understand why something matters, we can become more willing to endure the discomfort, uncertainty and challenges associated with achieving it. I believe this principle has important implications for active bystandership.
We often talk about the importance of equipping people with the skills and confidence to intervene when they witness inappropriate behaviour, bullying, harassment, mistakes or a colleague struggling with their wellbeing. We explore different intervention strategies, encourage people to challenge harmful behaviour and help them recognise the opportunities to make a difference. Perhaps we need to spend just as much time helping people understand why early action matters.
When people recognise the potential benefits of intervention, the perceived costs of acting can begin to look very different.
Understanding the costs of intervention
For many people, intervening is not an easy decision. We might worry about damaging relationships, being labelled difficult, challenging someone more senior or becoming the next target of unwanted attention. We may fear getting it wrong or making a situation worse.
These concerns are understandable. Human beings are social creatures, and our relationships with colleagues, friends and communities matter enormously.
In hierarchical environments, such as policing, the military or other high-pressure workplaces, these concerns can become even more significant.
The potential cost of intervention is not simply about what might happen in the moment. It can involve concerns about future opportunities, reputation, belonging and acceptance. This helps explain why people who recognise that something is wrong may nevertheless choose not to act.
It is not necessarily because they do not care. Sometimes, the perceived costs of acting outweigh the benefits they can see.
Discovering the benefits of early action
Now imagine a different perspective. A colleague notices that someone is being repeatedly undermined during team meetings. Rather than waiting for the behaviour to escalate, they challenge the comment or check in privately with the individual affected.
The intervention might be uncomfortable. The colleague responsible for the behaviour may react defensively. The person intervening may feel anxious.
But what if that early intervention prevents the behaviour becoming normalised?
What if it helps the person experiencing the behaviour feel supported?
What if it encourages others to recognise that they, too, have permission to act?
What if it prevents a colleague from reaching a point where they feel isolated, distressed or unable to continue?
Suddenly, the benefits of early action become much more visible. The intervention is no longer simply about challenging an inappropriate comment. It is about protecting relationships, strengthening team culture and demonstrating that people matter.
The potential benefits of acting early can change how we perceive the costs of acting.
This does not mean the risks disappear. Rather, the purpose behind the intervention becomes sufficiently important to help us navigate those risks.
Active bystandership and our collective why
When I deliver active bystandership training, I want people to leave understanding that they do not need to be extraordinary individuals to make a difference. They do not need to be the most senior person in the room. They do not need to possess exceptional courage. They need to recognise that their actions, however small, can influence the experiences of others.
A simple question can be powerful: If I choose not to act today, what might happen tomorrow? This question encourages us to think beyond the immediate discomfort of intervention and consider the longer-term consequences of inaction. It also challenges us to think about the kind of workplace, team or community we want to create.
Perhaps our why is the wellbeing of a colleague.
Perhaps it is protecting the integrity of our profession.
Perhaps it is ensuring that someone who is struggling knows they are not alone.
Or perhaps it is simply recognising that we have a responsibility to look out for one another.
When these values become meaningful to us, they can provide the motivation required to act.
Leaders have a role to play
Organisations cannot simply tell people to be courageous and expect meaningful change. Leaders must help create environments where the benefits of early action are visible and where the costs of intervention are reduced. This means responding positively when people raise concerns, supporting those who intervene and demonstrating that speaking up is valued rather than punished. It also means recognising that intervention is not always successful.
Cultures change through repeated acts of care, challenge and support.
Every time a leader reinforces the message that colleagues should look out for one another, they help strengthen the collective why.
From Awareness To Action
Frankl’s words remind us that purpose can help us navigate discomfort. Active bystandership training should do more than explain what people can do when they witness harm. It should help them understand why doing something matters.
When we recognise the potential consequences of early action, we begin to see intervention differently. It becomes less about the discomfort of challenging a colleague and more about the opportunity to protect someone. Less about the risk of speaking up and more about the responsibility we share. Less about being a hero and more about being a good colleague, friend or citizen.
The benefits of early action do not remove the costs of intervention. They help us understand why those costs are worth bearing and perhaps that is where meaningful cultural change begins: when enough people discover their why, and decide that looking out for one another is something worth doing.
