By Steve Moran
I frequently ask leaders about how good their workplace culture is. I don’t think anyone has ever told me it sucks. Most tell me it’s pretty good. That people are generally happy, engaged, and productive. Some will admit there are pockets of struggle, but on the whole? Things are really good.
I used to be a skeptic, believing they were not telling the truth or not paying attention to what was actually happening in their organizations.
The more of these conversations I have had, and the more I’ve thought about it, I have realized I missed something really important.
From the leader’s perspective, they are 100% right.
The problem is that they are only seeing the part of the culture that is right in front of them. They are not seeing the entire picture …. And yep, I am probably talking about you … It’s really hard to do. You are several leadership layers away from it. Those reporting to you are going to spend more time talking about what’s working rather than what’s not.
There are ways to know …
- High turnover
- Poor Glassdoor / Indeed scores
- Lots of drama
- Burned-out, exhausted department heads
- Frivolous lawsuits and regulatory complaints
It’s a simpler problem than it first appears to be. In most organizations, there are lots of really good, really fun, really joyful things happening. They tend to be small things, tiny moments, and the hustle of getting everything right. Those moments get missed.
I hope you already did the exercise designed for you as a leader. You can find it here. https://practicalleadership.substack.com/p/what-if-you-could-have-more-joy-in
This one is similar. But it’s for your team. And it will change things more than you can possibly imagine because the truth is, there is more joy all around us every day than we realize. We’ve just stopped looking for it.
It will be most effective when your local leaders do it with their teams … all the way down to the front line.
Continue Reading on Practical Passionate Leadership (Substack) …
