For obvious reasons, back when I was in the restaurant business, the proverb “the fish stinks from the head” was an effective leadership development metaphor chefs could relate to. Seems it’s likely to have come from the 1st century Greek philosopher Plutarch who wrote “the responsibility belongs to the rulers, and the fault is to be attributed to them. For the reason is like the words of the wise about fish, which, they say, begin to stink from the head first.” The phrase highlights how the ethics, competence and actions of those in charge set the culture for the entire group they oversee.
I define culture as the product of intention supported by action. If we say we believe in values like transparency and discipline and our actions prove those values to be important to us, then that’s our culture. But if our actions are in opposition to those values; if rather than being transparent and disciplined, we are opaque in our information sharing and inconsistent in our diligence, then our culture is no longer based on what we say but rather on what we do.
My point in writing this article is not to in any way chastise or preach to business leaders but rather to invite each of us to take stock on how we are actually doing compared to the values we espouse. And, if we really want to give ourselves a more concrete check up, honestly measure ourselves against these seven culture killers:
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Playing favorites – when leaders treat some team members better than others or make biased decisions, it creates resentment and mistrust.
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Lack of transparency – if leaders don’t share important information and communicate poorly, it fosters an environment of secrecy where team members feel disengaged.
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Unethical behavior – leaders acting unethically or failing to take responsibility for mistakes give team members the signal that it’s okay to act that way too, eroding the culture.
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Micromanaging – leaders who micromanage and don’t empower their teams show they have little faith in their abilities.
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Lack of clear vision – when leaders fail to articulate and exemplify the organization’s core principles and goals, it leaves team members confused and adrift.
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Misaligned policies – if policies like performance reviews, compensation, development, etc. don’t match the desired culture, it causes dysfunction.
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Lack of psychological safety – any of the above create an environment of mistrust and disempowerment. When this happens, people in an organization typically either shut down and begin looking for opportunities elsewhere or they vent to others in the organization who might be similarly affected. I give this the umbrella term “gossip” which I define as “talking to the person who can’t help you with your problem”. I fully understand that if there is a lack of psychological safety, team members in an organization are likely to feel ambivalent about sharing their concerns, especially those further down the org chart. But that’s exactly the point. People within an organization need to feel safe and that starts with leaders being approachable, open to criticism and dedicated to following up.
Ultimately, team members take their cues from those at the top. If leaders fail to exemplify the company’s professed values through their actions and leadership style, any attempt at a positive culture is likely to fail. Things happen. Mistakes are made. Eyes go off the ball. If you think there’s an opportunity to improve on any of the seven killers listed above, find the right people to talk to and start the conversation.