When it comes to building a healthy culture, there is no greater or more impactful example of culture than that of leadership.
Research continues to show that many of the world’s most profitable companies attribute a great deal of their success to their organizational culture. At the forefront of these organizations are leaders who actively, regularly, and genuinely display the type of behavior desired for all of its members.
Some leaders equate their high visibility to constantly being put under the microscope. They describe the dynamic as having a small margin for error as the world dissects their every move.
Conversely, some leaders capitalize on such heightened visibility as an opportunity to introduce or reiterate their culture. Unlike the first group, they show less signs of stress because they are energized by the culture in place and have integrated it into their daily leadership. Leading with their culture as a guide is not a burdensome task; it’s simply the norm.
Leaders who serve as role models set the tone by setting the example. They aren’t always the most charismatic or outgoing leaders; they just say or do things they feel will have an impact. And they say and do these things often.
Many workers are skeptical when it comes to the intentions of leaders. The aforementioned charismatic or outgoing leaders sometimes do more to hurt their ability to be impactful than to help it. Workers don’t necessarily see culture champions, but rather self-serving individuals who enjoy the spotlight or the grand stage of leadership.
Other leaders show that it’s possible to be less flamboyant or outspoken, but just as effective. They may not do anything outrageous, but they are doing many of the small things that easily resonate with followers. As a result, they establish trust and put to bed the skepticism other leaders struggle to overcome.
As employees begin to see this behavior as normal and genuine, similar behavior starts to permeate throughout the organization. What was witnessed at the top of the organization has now worked its way down.
Leaders have a choice. They can leave the importance of culture and values to the rest of the organization and simply go about their day. Or, they can be the biggest and brightest example of culture within their organization. One may or may not produce results. The other will surely have an impact.
12 Nov 2021
Episode 34 - I'm Sorry I Asked
Employee surveys can be a great source of information. They can provide an intimate perspective of certain facets of the organization which may go unseen or unexperienced by leadership.
However, sometimes organizations are not prepared for the insight they receive. They may feel that certain initiatives or decisions should be met with affirmation and positive accolades, only to find out that part of the employee population feels differently.
What do we do now?
Some organizations view the insight as a humbling experience and use it as an opportunity to improve. They may reach out to specific individuals and ask clarifying questions or seek additional information. They may pull project teams back together to discuss the feedback and determine how best to utilize it in future endeavors. While it’s no guarantee that leadership will make changes (nor should they unless they determine it’s appropriate to do so), employees have visual and concrete evidence that their voices were heard.
Other organizations opt to refute or outright ignore the information. They make excuses for the information, challenge the source(s), or downplay the insight as insignificant complaining from a few select or disgruntled employees.
This begs the question, why ask for the information in the first place?
It seems as though some organizations are comfortable with the message that simply executing a survey sends. Hey, we asked. Many organizations don’t do that much.
The message which goes unrecognized, however, is the one that tells employees their insights are wrong or just don’t matter. If the survey is conducted annually, the exercise is reduced to an irrelevant tradition which ends up eliciting less insight each year and more confusion over why the organization continues to ask for it.
Such organizations need to ask themselves, where is this frustration or inactivity coming from? Is the survey simply a means of checking a box? Is there a denial (or directive) in place which says things are fine the way they are? Does leadership not want to admit they got something wrong?
It’s hard to acknowledge our mistakes. It’s even harder when there are high expectations for making as few of them as possible. However, the hardest thing to overcome is a stubborn or inflexible culture. Effective leaders and organizations don’t necessarily like to fail or admit they got it wrong. Yet, the more they acknowledge and learn from what they did wrong, the more they eventually start to get right.
Our advice to leaders is to recognize that there is still work to be done after the survey is sent and the feedback subsequently collected. Be deliberate and intentional about discussing what the feedback is or isn’t telling you. Be curious and seek out answers to fill in the gaps. Give employees the opportunity to have a voice and then show them that their insight is both appreciated and valuable.
If you’re only willing to accept certain answers to your questions, you may want to reconsider asking them.
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