Can you believe February is over? It sped by in a blink. The only evidence I have that it really happened (and that I was there for it 🤣) are the recordings of the Toxic Culture Workshop Series. Thanks to those of you who registered and were able to join live! We had a good time.
At the final session last week we talked about solutions – what do we do if we find ourselves immersed in a toxic work culture? And, as leaders, how do we prevent it or address it when we see the signs?
Most of the time, culture problems are blamed on people.
- “Joe is really toxic. If only Joe didn’t work here, we wouldn’t have this problem.”
- “The people on that team are so toxic – there is no trust, they undermine each other all the time.”
- “Nobody on this team shows any accountability, everyone is just out for themselves.”
Sometimes an individual is at the core. And when that’s the case, it’s important to address the issue swiftly.
But I believe that most culture problems stem from systems issues. I believe that most people are well-intentioned. They want to do the right thing. They sometimes make poor choices because they feel like that is the only way to get by. To be clear, broken systems do not excuse bad behavior, but they can explain it.
Systems allow people to show up as their best selves. When expectations are clear, when goals are aligned, when the mission, vision, and values of the organization are evident in the daily work, people don’t have to resort to toxic behaviors. When characteristics of leadership are defined, when people at all levels are accountable to themselves, their colleagues, and their work, toxic culture can’t overtake the work environment.
One thing a leader can do to prevent or address organizational health issues is to be self-reflective and honest about systems improvements. This requires personal humility, adopting a culture of continuous improvement, and most importantly, talking to your teams.
There are any number of ways to approach this work. I use a swift but thorough audit process. My organizational health audit is a three-step process.
Step 1: Data collection through a brief survey
Step 2: Qualitative data collection through interviews with a representative sample of employees
Step 3: Data analysis providing current strengths and areas of growth with respect to the factors that impact organizational health
The audit can be a starting place for getting under the hood with respect to what is causing people to show up as less than their best selves. Even better, it can flag potential issues before that happens.
What do you think? Based on your experience, are people at the core of toxic work culture? Or is there something bigger that is causing them to act that way? Share below!
🔎🔎 I am currently looking for THREE people/organizations to pilot the audit for a discounted fee. You get all of the value for a fraction of the price. ​Let’s talk about whether your org is a fit!​ 🔎🔎
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