Are you kidding me?
How Toxic Workplace Culture Is Created—and What Leaders Must Do to Fix It
A recent Monster survey reported that up to 80% of respondents believe they work in a toxic workplace culture.
Eighty percent.
Even if the real number is closer to 40%, that should stop every supervisor, manager, and executive leader in their tracks.
What does that say about leadership awareness—or the lack of it?
What does that say about leadership development—or the lack of it?
And the harder question every leader should be asking:
Are you truly aware of your organization’s cultural health?
Signs of a Toxic Workplace Culture
If your organization is experiencing:
High employee turnover
Low morale
Poor labor–management relationships
Persistent negativity
A lack of personal accountability
…then like it or not, you are dealing with some level of a toxic organizational culture.
And if you lead people, here’s the uncomfortable truth:
Culture is not something you simply observe.
It is something you create, tolerate, or correct.
A Leadership Gut Check
Ask yourself this question—honestly:
If you were removed from the organization tomorrow, would the culture improve, decline, or stay exactly the same?
If that question makes you uncomfortable, good.
Discomfort is often the first signal that leadership growth is required.
How Leaders Begin to Fix Toxic Culture
Cultural improvement does not begin with slogans, posters, or mission statements.
It begins with clearly defined core values.
Core values should never exist in an organization unless they are clearly defined.
Undefined values are nothing more than words on a wall.
Those values must then be translated into principles.
Simply put:
Principles are core values in action.
This is where real leadership shows up.
Leadership Responsibilities at Every Level
Effective leaders—at all levels of an organization—must:
Demonstrate organizational principles daily
Use values and principles to guide and justify decisions
Reinforce positive behavior
Correct negative behavior consistently
When values and principles are applied this way, they stop being aspirational statements—and start becoming cultural drivers.
Demonstrate company values and principles daily.
People pay attention.
Reference and apply values and principles when addressing behavior.
People learn what actually matters.
Use values and principles to guide decisions—and then again to justify those decisions.
People begin to trust leadership.
Culture Change Takes Time—and Discipline
Cultural change does not happen overnight.
It occurs over months and years, not days and weeks.
It requires consistency.
It requires discipline.
Most importantly, it requires leaders who are willing to look in the mirror before blaming the culture.
Because culture is never accidental.
It is always the result of leadership behavior—past and present.
This post is adapted from a recent edition of my newsletter, The Boss Up! Brief, where I share practical, no-nonsense insights for supervisors, managers, and leaders.
