LEADERS INTENIONALLY BUILD POSITICE CULTURES
Earlier this week, I encountered a friend who runs a school, a school that is very successful. My friend explained to me how this year her theme for the teachers and students is going to be the environment.
My first reaction and thought was: “Wow! That’s great. She and the faculty are going to teach their young students all about the importance of environmental protection, conservation, and safeguarding the environment for future generations.”
I was incorrect. My friend was using the word “environment” generically. She meant the environment in which her teachers and students worked together and how the staff would be treating each other throughout the year.
She explained that she wanted to create an environment in which both teachers and students felt heard, respected and valued.
After our conversation, I started pondering the benefits of her approach. Leaders who reflect upon culture building, and then proactively go out and help create and sustain a positive culture, generally are much more effective than those leaders who ignore the importance of culture or, even worse, mindlessly create a negative disempowering culture.
What can we do to create a positive, reinforcing and supportive culture for our team?
-We can make sure every team member at each level feels respected and heard
-We can elucidate and support our team members’ professional goals
-We can make time to listen so people feel heard, not necessarily agreed with
-We can stop and eliminate unethical behavior wherever and whenever we see it
-We can treat our employees like we would want them to treat our very best customers
-We can make it a regular practice to celebrate team member accomplishments and achievements
-We can do regular check-in with team members, in person or by Zoom, even though they may not report directly to us
-We can sustain a flexible, work environment that respects work-life balance
-We can establish and stick to a core set of values that is shared at all levels of the organization
-We can work with our teammates to create very clear goals
-We can put an emphasis on providing meaningful feedback to team members that focuses not just on performance, but also on growth
-We can commit to hiring individuals from different backgrounds and celebrating their differences
-We can encourage all team members to share their ideas and perspectives
-We can promote an openness for opinion sharing without fear of retaliation or disagreement
-We can collectively recognize and reward team members for achieving excellent outcomes and results
-We can welcome feedback and use it to help improve the culture for everyone
-We can be as transparent as possible, so teammates know what’s going on and why it’s going on
-We can commit to holding regular meetings and only canceling them in emergencies
-We can emphasize the importance of one-on-one meetings between managers, and the people they manage
-We can promise teammates we will not tolerate poor performance or poor attitudes
-We can consult with other leaders we trust and admire about how they have constructed effective workplace cultures
Great positive cultures do not happen by accident – ever. They happen based on leaders’ intentions. I encourage you to pause and examine two things:
-Examine the cultures where you have worked in the past: What can you learn from them?
-Examine the culture where you work now?
Then ask yourself:
-What are its strengths?
-What are its challenges?
-How much influence do you have on crafting enhancements?
-What culture improvement goals can you create for 2026-27?
-How can you role model the importance of a great workplace culture for your teammates
-Where else outside work can you have a positive impact on a culture – Nonprofit organizations where you volunteer? Boards on which you sit? Other groups?
Please remember – Leaders are the ones who proactively and intentionally create positive cultures where team members want to work, want to grow and want to contribute.
Creating these cultures is an amazing opportunity for you to make a positive difference in the lives of people and organizations!
If you believe this content would resonate with a friend or colleague, please feel free to forward it along!
-Larry