If I was to ask who is responsible for the environment in the office, many would respond each employee. As true as it is, each person positively or negatively contributes to the environment, but the ultimate factor, the one singular force who sets the overall work environment is the leader.
Leaders have much more influence over their employees than many would like to admit. Leaders, true leaders, influence others. Managers manage, meaning they provide step-by-step instructions to complete an activity, versus assigning a task and allowing the employee to determine how to complete the task. Thus, if leaders lead through influence, it can be determined that a leaders influence can be negative or positive.
The influence leaders have permeates every aspect of the workday. When a leader is short-tempered, employees automatically become subdued, tiptoeing around the office in an attempt to not be noticed. The opposite can be true when the leader is in a good mood, everyone is carefree and in a great mood.
I remember a day, in a particularly stressful work environment, when everything that could go wrong did. At the time, I lived 45 minutes from the office, and had a mischievous dog. I was running late, had a day of meetings, and my dog had hidden my car keys. An hour later, I had found my keys, and was finally on my way. Halfway through my commute, I realized I had forgotten my computer. At that point, I had a choice, turn around and work from home or go to the office and do the best I could. I decided to continue to work.
As I walked in, my staff was waiting to see what kind of a mood I was in. They could tell I was stressed, very late, and not sure how I would respond. That moment I realized the impact my attitude had on everyone. And rather than allowing the rough start to continue to impact my day and each employee, I chose to laugh. I grabbed a cup of coffee, shared my rough start, listened to everyone else’s morning moments, and started the day. That changed the entire course of the day and taught me a very important lesson.
As leaders, we control every aspect of the office. We control the environment, and ultimately, we are responsible for the toxicity that exists. As a leader, I tried to stay out of office politics. I carefully avoided employee disagreements, stressing friendship was not a requirement, respect and professionalism was. Yet, this approach led to more conflicts than if I had set clear boundaries of what was acceptable and what wasn’t. By not knowing the gossip, politics, and emotions of the staff, I unknowingly allowed an environment to blossom.
Being involved enough to know what is going on while maintaining the influence needed to set the tone of the office is the secret. As a leader, you cannot involve yourself in the office politics, share a juicy piece of gossip, or snub the person you are mad at. Rather you must influence positive changes and keep conversations respectful and light. Your involvement in the office will directly impact the overall dynamic.
Leaders can and should end the toxicity. No matter how much you would like to avoid the difficult conversations, or could care less about gossip, a healthy environment will never blossom until you own your responsibility. It is harder to break bad habits and replace them with good habits, but the results are always worth it. No deadline will ever be more important than a healthy work environment. You will never be able to truly focus on what is needed until you invest in the overall environment and set each and every employee up for success.
Sara Orellana is an independent entrepreneur who specializes in strategic planning, leadership, and grant writing. She can be reached at sara@3raptorconsulting.com.