Every workplace has its own culture. We know this to be true; we read about it and we live it in our jobs every day. What we don’t often stop and think about is how leadership behaviour influences the work culture or, how that culture impacts employee satisfaction.
It is safe to say that the personalities and management styles of an organization’s leaders set the tone of the work environment, which is both good and bad news.
On the positive side, if you are a leader who has a clear vision of where you want your business to go then you may also have a good sense of what values and behaviours are going to get you there. And, you will realize that you need other talented people to help you get the work done.
Leading with values that include integrity, respect, dignity, collaboration, etc. will demonstrate to your employees that you appreciate them. It will also set an expectation that others are to be guided by the same values.
When employees see their leaders act in a way that is consistent with the values they advocate, then they are more likely to follow that person’s lead. That is the kind of behaviour that helps create a culture of empowerment and loyalty.
Encouraging learning and innovation could bring your organization to the next level of performance. Innovative ideas help to keep businesses competitive; they also allow employees to share their input and creativity and that builds a culture of engagement and commitment.
People learn about the culture of their workplace by watching their organization’s leaders. If the supervisors and managers are supportive of employees, open to suggestions and quicker to praise than to criticize, it goes a long way toward building a culture of trust.
On the other hand, if a manager seems to have his or her own personal agenda and little interest in drawing on the strengths of the team, an atmosphere of competition and suspicion could develop.
People quickly recognize managers who either deliberately or inadvertently create a work atmosphere of negativity and tension. No one wants to work for them and many may choose not to do business with them either.
It’s difficult to gauge how much an oppressive work culture restricts business growth or profitability but there are plenty of statistics available on the high costs of staff turnover, absenteeism and disengagement.
Creating a place where people thrive and actively contribute may sound simple in theory but it is far from that in practice. I do my best to enlighten, encourage and educate people about how to be good managers, and why it is so critical to keep honing their leadership skills.
Still, there will always be some people who just don’t get it. It isn’t that they can’t learn to improve in these areas it’s more that they don’t even see why it matters so much.
To the managers and supervisors who do get it, I say keep up the good work. Be that role model for others and use your influence to foster a workplace culture that is positive and respectful – a place where people want to come to work.
Written by Laurie Mills. Originally published in the Capital News, Kelowna, BC, 2009.