On the classic TV show “The Office,” Michael Scott (Regional Manager) is a hilarious boss. We love to watch his blunders from the comfort of our couches, and for a lot of us the jokes crack us up because they remind us of managers we’ve worked with in the past! This is such a great example of who, in fact, sets the tone for culture in the workplace. Michael can be an effective salesman, but as a manager, spends most of his time procrastinating while distracting others. It sets the stage for employees who do as little work as possible, gossip constantly, and have very little focus on the customer. Perfect setup for a sitcom; nightmare scenario for a real workplace!
Let’s look at another fun example of a leader that establishes the tone for the team – this time let’s choose a positive role model! If you’ve had the pleasure of watching “Ted Lasso” you’ll know that Ted brought new goals and a positive culture to the soccer team he took over coaching. Watching this show is like a breath of fresh air, and makes his upbeat, optimistic mindset seem utterly attainable within our own teams, as long as we work from the top down.
Habitually Mirror Core Principles
These are just two really obvious examples of how the boss is the keystone in creating, and maintaining a positive company culture. Oftentimes founding CEOs naturally bring this mindset because the company is the result of their vision for the kind of place they’d like to work. Sometimes, though, the C level executives are brought on because of their specific expertise and not necessarily for their mastery in applying the values of the company in their daily interactions. But this starts at the top. If the C levels don’t diligently echo core values, then you can’t expect managers to either, and the office will start looking woefully like the show “The Office.”
Lead By Example And Take Time For Training
Ideally, when interviewing, you are considering whether hiring this person will contribute to the culture or detract from it. You may think that their skill set warrants giving them a try even if their priorities don’t specifically line up with the culture. In that case you need to be prepared to take the time to fully integrate them and prime these new ideas.
Establish Team Players
When your employees have bought into the vision and are invested in the company, they will give their best work. For example, if you have a child who is a picky eater, the best way to get them to make healthy food choices is to have them garden with you, harvest, and cook their veggies alongside you. Then a vegetable that once looked “gross” becomes the product of their time and attention, and they have a vested interest in it tasting delicious. It’s the same with any job. Work is only “work” when we have no vested interest in its outcome. And it takes a solid leader to bring the workers along on that journey to infuse the goals and values of the company, and turn them into the goals and values of each employee.
Create Clear Goals and Recognize Improvement
If you don’t know where you’re going, you’re not very likely to get there. Clear goals make the path obvious and it becomes very apparent when the goal is met. Don’t expect someone wandering in the dark to just come across the thing you wanted done! And, of course, celebrate that progress. You don’t need to wait till the goal is attained to give credit for improvement. Positive reinforcement is a powerful tool.
Be Open To Feedback And Admit When You’re Wrong
If you want a workplace culture that promotes thinking outside the box and not being afraid to make mistakes, you need to be willing to take the sting out of constructive criticism by modeling that behavior. When management is clearly open to critique and no one is barred from giving feedback, then workers won’t feel unfairly targeted if or when their new ideas need tweaking or reworking. If the leaders in the company aren’t able to admit when they’re wrong, then no one farther down the chain of command will feel safe admitting fault. And when that becomes the culture (“I can’t be wrong or I’ll lose my job”) you lose all hope of fostering innovative thinkers within your walls. Everything becomes about CYA and fearfully maintaining the status quo, rather than pushing the company forward and creatively working through problems.
Don’t be a Michael Scott! Get your Ted Lasso on and lead your team forward. They’re not going to win every time and that’s okay. A culture of progress, not perfection, will get you to your goals!
