It’s undeniable that business leaders—whether the CEO, leaders of business units, or department heads—have a large influence on the environment of the workplace they run. The leader sets the expectations, sets the tone, and sets an example for how employees throughout the organization or department should behave and what qualities the company looks for in its leaders.
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Just as sports and entertainment stars are often unaware of the influence they have on their young fans, top leaders are sometimes unaware of the impact their actions have on the culture of the workplace.
In an article for Harvard Business Review, Ron Carucci looks at three ways leaders often inadvertently create a toxic culture.
1. Scattered Priorities
“It’s astounding how badly most leadership teams use their time together,” says Carucci. “They set meeting agendas haphazardly, frequently only days beforehand (if at all). Their conversations veer off topic, often into minutia. They leave unaddressed the decisions and problems needing resolution.”
The impact is that subordinates are left scratching their heads over the company’s key priorities. This is compounded when official priorities differ from what is actually focused on in practice.
2. Rivalries
Few employees rise to the top ranks of an organization without some level of competitiveness in their personality. The problem is that sometimes the top executives—especially those directly beneath the CEO—take this competitiveness to an unhealthy level.
Their desire to beat out their current co-equals as the next CEO can lead to hidden agendas and counterproductive feuds.
3. Unproductive Conflict
Conflict can be productive in an organization. We don’t want our leaders blindly following one another instead of debating and advocating different options. But certain types of conflict can be unproductive.
“Speaking negatively behind one another’s backs, withholding honest perspectives, or pocket vetoing decisions after they are made should be unacceptable,” says Carucci. He recommends that leadership teams work together to establish written norms for behavior to avoid these types of negative actions.
Norms, writes Carucci, should be shared throughout the organization, with leaders holding others—and themselves—accountable for exhibiting desired behaviors.
Business leaders have a lot on their plates and numerous priorities to juggle constantly. So it’s understandable that they may not realize the impact their actions have on the culture of the organization. But they absolutely need to be cognizant of this impact and act accordingly.
What are your leaders doing to instill and model a nontoxic workplace culture?