Culture is the air your team breathes while running your marathon. It’s the energy forcefield they step into when they begin their workday. It’s the container, the context, within which the work gets done.
We often get asked, what’s the role of leadership when it comes to workplace culture?
Most leaders we work with understand that culture takes ALL hands on deck—it requires the entire team. And leadership has to lead the charge.
What do most leaders miss? That their team is a direct reflection of them.
Take a moment now and consider that. Your team is a reflection of you. What you see in your team—what makes you proud and what makes you crazy—starts with you.
How can you develop yourself as a leader and change what you’re seeing? Here’s our best tips from 15 years spent making a meaningful difference across teams of from all different industries and sizes:
- Know every day your team watches you. What you do sets the bar, defining the real permissions and expectations. If you take vacation, your team will take vacation. If you’re distracted during meetings, your team won’t bother to focus either. Your team will even reproduce your body language such as hand gestures.
No, we’re not kidding. There’s a survival (and success) instinct to mimic the person with the most power. Scientific research points to how we lean on mirror neurons to support our survival through understanding others’ actions, intentions and emotions.
Shared identity, a key piece of culture, comes from common language and mirrored mannerisms. So: Do you like what you hear? Do you like what you see?
When you think, “I wish my team were more ______________ (accountable, passionate, efficient, committed, helpful),” ask yourself: “What would it look like if I were more _____________. What would I say and do?”
- Beware of resting frog face. Back when I ran the moving company I installed a small mirror at head height inside my office. Every time I wanted to leave my office, I would have to confront my reflection. It wasn’t to check my teeth or my hair. It was to make me aware of my natural tendency to look frowny. When I’m in the throes of concentration, the corners of my mouth naturally turn down. My “resting frog face” wreaked havoc on my team.
Be aware of what your natural non-verbals (fidgeting, eye-rolling, distracted, arms crossed) communicate and choose to actively shift those that don’t serve you or your team.
- Speak on purpose. Your language will echo through the people of your company. If you swear, then swearing is allowed. If you complain that “there are never enough hours in the day,” then your team also buys into time poverty and uses it as a scapegoat. If you cheerlead, “We’ve got this!” your team believes in their potential. Your mantras will be repeated.
Be especially cognizant of how you talk about money and how your own money beliefs serve (or don’t serve) your team.
Also, consider disrupting common biz speak. For example, call due dates “finish lines” instead of deadlines. Have your team feel like they’re crossing a finish line, victory arms in the air, than a deadline (a word that comes from the boundary line that if crossed by a prisoner meant they would be shot dead).
- Whack-a-mole shiny squirrels by pausing before you “throw something out there.” What you say goes. Have you ever noticed how you will simply share a thought that comes to mind or mention a consideration, and your team will begin to run with it—and press pause on the other tasks they’re prioritizing? As the head cheese, your suggestions, concerns, and ideas are given undue weight. Be cautious about having a notion pass your lips without thoughtful consideration. A simple, “Hey guys, what do you all think about X?” can result in leaps and bounds of unwanted implications.
- Keep the fire in your belly lit. Your vibrancy is contagious—and so is your apathy. Fake smiles won’t cut it, nor will empty words of encouragement.
Where do you start if you’re not feeling it? Lean on the people, words, music, and experiences that lift you up. But if it’s more than just a passing moment, ask yourself these 3 critical questions:
- Do you feel known – cared about as a person, beyond your work contribution?
- Does your work matter – both if you go above and beyond and if you don’t?
- Do you feel included and have a sense of shared identity and pride?
If you don’t feel Known, Matter & Included™ (Choose People’s Secret Sauce) this is the place to start—because if you can’t say yes, your team doesn’t stand a chance. This is why leadership truly is an inside job – it starts with you.
- Know you’re never alone. As a leader it can be lonely at the top—your team will never know how hard you work to do what’s best for them, the people you serve and your organization. But you don’t have to do it alone. We see you, and we want to support you with a free tool to use whatever culture air you’re breathing right now—whether it’s truly toxic, “fine” but a bit stale and mediocre, or so good you’re worried it can’t be sustainable. Simply reach out—no obligation, just appreciation.
The bottom line? Be that which you wish to see on your team—and together you will create a truly thriving culture.
