How in tune are you with your organization’s work culture? How confident are you that everyone treats each other — and customers — with trust and respect in every interaction?
The recent reports about a toxic culture in a major college football program was unfortunate to hear, but not surprising. Former and current players describe a culture of fear and intimidation, of extreme verbal abuse, of belittling, embarrassing, bullying and humiliating interactions regularly.
The problem is that such treatment — fear, intimidation, verbal abuse, belittling, and humiliation — is all too common in our workplaces today. The Workplace Bullying Institute’s 2017 survey found that 61% of Americans are aware of abusive conduct in the workplace, and 61% of bullies are bosses.
Great bosses do not assume anything.
They pay attention to the culture details. They spend time daily — an hour or more — observing how people treat each other while working, while meeting and while problem-solving. They check in with players at all levels regularly to gain a broad perspective of how relationships are valued or are not valued.
Watch this crisp, three-minute video to learn how to best listen and learn about your culture’s details, and to nurture “truth tellers” in your organization.
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