Let’s face it. Leading is HARD. 

I don’t know a single leader who would ever intentionally destroy, derail or create a dysfunctional team or compromise their culture. But I do (unfortunately) see many leaders inadvertently undermining their team’s and organization’s success by letting small instances of misaligned behaviors snowball into an accidental culture through patterns that erode trust and create silos.

You’ve seen these behaviors; any one of them probably wouldn’t even catch your eye. In fact, the things that often begin to erode culture are usually not egregious. If they WERE egregious, they would be easier to spot and eradicate.

No, these are more subtle and sometimes hard to pinpoint. Suddenly, one day you realize that things are just a LOT HARDER and a LOT SLOWER than they need to be.

The things that begin to erode culture are usually not egregious; they are subtle and sometimes hard to pinpoint. If they WERE egregious, they would be easier to spot and eradicate. They grow organically until suddenly, one day you realize that things are a LOT HARDER and a LOT SLOWER than they need to be.

The top 5 silent culture killers

1) The curse of chaos

This comes from a failure to align on a shared and compelling purpose and identify the team’s most important priority. While many leaders understand and agree with the power of a shared purpose, most will also tell me that they cannot possibly identify a MOST important priority because EVERYTHING is important!

The curse becomes clear when you notice people working at cross-purposes to satisfy competing demands, and passing off responsibilities like hot potatoes so they can meet their own individual deadlines.

2) Failure to foster connection  

With so much to do at all times, and with many people working on hybrid or partially remote schedules, it is hard to justify taking the time to have deep and meaningful conversations. The trouble is, without intentionally fostering connection, our work relationships often hit a shallow plateau and we sacrifice the deeper levels of trust that support risk taking, conflict resilience, and the highest levels of engagement. 

3) Sloppy behavioral standards

If we don’t make our expectations clear or specify behavioral standards for our team, instead assuming that the adults around us will behave “appropriately,” we may be blindsided by communication inconsistencies that cascade through our organizations and create an array of subcultures and silos.  

For example, when one leader can get away with small but snarky comments, sarcasm, or the occasional temper tantrum, that person’s team will likely experience higher levels of stress and will contribute a little less as a result. This has a domino effect and causes fractures that are hard to mend.

4) Lack of urgency and ownership

This happens when we don’t coordinate our actions or use prioritized work-plans to track progress. Work gets done, but we lack energy and focus. Time is squandered, engagement suffers, and we are not as fulfilled by our work over time.

5) Undisciplined process

You know this culture killer is at play when you have success, but you can’t recreate it, or when you are unsuccessful, and don’t really know why. From unstructured meetings, to unclear goals, to inconsistent performance management and more, the costs of undisciplined process are HIGH. When we don’t have a solid understanding of HOW we do WHAT we do and what process supports success, it’s almost impossible to thrive.

Stop these culture killers and turn things around

Don’t let these behavioral killers take hold. These patterns are far too common, and they rob us of the joy and fulfillment we should experience at work. If you spot these characteristics or behaviors and need help turning things around, please reach out - we can help.

Hit RESET

Year over year, I help leaders like you dive deep into eradicating culture killers like these and initiate better professional communication and relationships for a happier, higher-energy workplace. Don't we all want that? Give me a call to discuss a RESET. You’ll come away with actionable strategies for addressing the 5 silent culture killers above, and a renewed commitment to leading your team and shaping your culture. You and your team are worth it!