October 28, 2025 • 18 mins
You believe in people-first leadership, but you work in a results-only culture. Your peers manage by spreadsheet. Your boss treats people like resources. You're wondering: Can I actually lead differently without getting crushed?
Here's the truth: You can't change the entire company culture right now. But you CAN change your team culture. And that's more powerful than you think.
In this episode, leadership consultant Colby Morris shares how middle managers can pioneer people-first leadership in organizations that aren't there yet—and create lasting cultural change from within.
What You'll Learn:
- The two biggest mistakes leaders make in toxic work cultures (and how to avoid them)
- Why focusing on your team culture beats trying to fix company culture
- How to use one-on-ones to build trust and drive results simultaneously
- The "fly under the radar" strategy that protects you while proving your approach works
- Creating healthy contagion: How one team's culture spreads organization-wide
- Real case study: Leading 20 managers and 350 employees to cultural transformation
Perfect for middle managers, directors, and VPs who want to be people-first leaders but don't have authority to mandate company-wide change. Also valuable for executives exploring organization-wide culture transformation.
Referenced Episodes:
- One-on-One Leadership Series: June 14, 2024 & December 4, 2024
- June 4 & 9, 2025
Want the one-on-one templates and frameworks? Contact Colby for free resources.
Connect with Colby Morris
Website: nxtstepadvisors.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/colbymorris
Services: Executive Coaching | Leadership Training | Keynote Speaking | Culture Transformation
Executives: Ready to discuss organization-wide people-first culture transformation? Let's talk.
Enjoyed this episode?
- Subscribe to The Things Leaders Do
- Leave a review
- Share with a leader who feels alone trying to lead differently
Remember: Keep focusing on your team first, not fixing the company. Keep showing up consistently in your one-on-ones. And keep proving that people-first leadership actually drives better results. Because those are the things that leaders do.
#PeopleFirstLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #OneOnOnes #MiddleManagement #CultureChange #ExecutiveCoaching #WorkplaceCulture #LeadershipTips #ToxicWorkplace #TeamCulture
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:00):
People first leadership.
Actionable strategies, realresults.
This is Things Leaders Do withColby Morris.
SPEAKER_00 (00:11):
So you believe in people first leadership.
You know it's the right way tolead.
You've seen the research.
You've heard the stories.
You get it.
But here's the problem.
You look around and realizeyou're the only one who thinks
this way.
Your peers are managing by aspreadsheet.
(00:33):
Your boss talks about holdingpeople accountable like it's a
threat.
The culture rewards results atany cost.
And people are just resources tobe managed.
And you're sitting therewondering, can I actually do
this differently?
Am I just being naive?
(00:54):
Am I going to get eaten alivetrying to be the people first
leader in a results-onlyculture?
Here's what I want you to heartoday.
You can't change the entirecompany, not right now, but you
can change your team.
And that's a lot more powerfulthan you think.
(01:17):
Hey leaders, this is ColbyMorris, and this is the Things
Leaders Do podcast.
This podcast is designed to giveyou actionable strategies, just
help you be a better leaderfaster.
It's intentionally short,usually 15 to 23 minutes.
So you can listen on your way towork and implement something you
(01:39):
heard on the drive the minuteyou walk in the door.
I'm not really about theoryhere.
I want to give you the goodstuff.
Actionable tools that you canuse today.
And today?
Today we're talking about how tobe a people first pioneer in an
(02:01):
organization that just isn'tthere yet.
How to lead differently withoutgetting crushed.
And how one tool can changeeverything for your team, even
when the broader culture isworking against you.
So let me start with the twobiggest mistakes I see leaders
(02:23):
make when they want to be peoplefirst, but they're working in a
company that isn't.
That first mistake, well, theygive in to the overwhelm and
they just don't try at all.
They look at the culture aroundthem, they see how entrenched it
is, and they just think, what'sthe point?
I mean, I'm just one person.
I can't fight this.
(02:44):
So they conform.
They manage the way everyoneelse manages.
And a little piece of them diesevery time they treat it, try,
you know, try to treat theirpeople like numbers instead of
humans.
I've seen it happen over andover.
The second mistake is they giveup too early.
(03:06):
They start trying to leaddifferently, and then they hear
it from the older leaders or theresults-driven leaders.
You know what I'm talking about.
The things like you're being toonice, or you'll learn the hard
way, or my my personal favorite,you can't let them see you be
human.
Man, I hate that one.
(03:27):
It is such garbage advice.
And they they just hear itenough times, or maybe they they
get burned once.
You know, someone tries to takeadvantage of the people first
approach and they miss adeadline or takes advantage of
their flexibility.
And then they figure, you knowwhat?
I guess everyone else was right.
(03:47):
It's it's easier to just focuson results.
It's safer, it's less messy.
But here's what they're missing.
They're not actually trying tochange the culture of their
team.
They're trying to change thecompany, getting frustrated when
it doesn't work, and then givingup on their own team in the
process.
That's the trap.
(04:08):
And I don't want you to fallinto it.
Here's the paradigm shift I needyou to embrace.
Stop trying to change thecompany right now.
Just stop.
Now, let me be clear about whoI'm talking to here.
If you're in middle management,you're a director, a VP, a team
leader, you probably can'tmandate cultural changes across
(04:31):
the entire organization.
You don't have that kind ofauthority yet.
And that's okay.
That's actually where mostleaders listening to this are.
But if you're an executivelistening to this, you do have
the ability to mandate thesechanges across your
organization, and we'll talkabout that in a minute.
But even for you, the principlesstill apply here.
(04:55):
You still need to startsomewhere, prove it works, and
create that healthy contagion.
But for most of you listening,here's what you need to accept.
You can't control the companyculture.
You can't control what your bossvalues, you can't control how
your peers lead their teams.
(05:18):
But you know what you cancontrol?
Your team, your culture, yourdynamics?
Be committed to changing theculture of your team first and
only.
Be devoted to the leadership ofyour team.
That's where your actual poweris.
Think about it.
(05:39):
You have a sphere of influence.
Maybe it's five people, maybeit's 50.
Those people interact with youevery day.
They experience your leadership.
They're shaped by yourpriorities and your approach.
You can create a completelydifferent experience for those
people, regardless of what'shappening two departments over
(06:02):
or three levels up.
Here's what's really powerfulabout this.
When you focus on your team andget it right, the results speak
for themselves.
Your attention gets better, yourengagement goes up, your
performance improves, andsuddenly people start asking
questions.
But we're getting ahead ofourselves.
(06:23):
Let me tell you about the onetool that makes all of this
possible.
All right.
So if you're going to be apeople first pioneer in a
company that just isn't peoplefirst, here's what you need to
do first.
Implement 101s with your team.
I know you've heard me talkabout this, but listen, 101s are
(06:47):
the single greatest tool in theleader's toolbox.
Nothing else even comes close.
And I will die on that hill.
Here's why they're so powerful.
101s build trust andrelationships.
They address what I think of asMaslow's hierarchy of employee
needs.
People need to feel seen.
(07:08):
They need to feel heard, valued,developed.
One-on-ones do all of that.
But here's the part thatresults-driven leaders never
understand.
One-on-ones also make you moreeffective at hitting your goals,
not less.
Because when you're havingconsistent one-on-ones, results
(07:30):
are never a surprise.
You're measuring thingsconsistently.
You're discussing progressregularly.
You're identifying problemsearly.
You're focused on both theperson and the performance.
And if you need to pivot, youknow, make changes, you need to
remove barriers so you canactually make the goal.
(07:52):
You have that opportunity inreal time.
You're not waiting until the endof the quarter to realize
something went wrong.
Results-driven leaders wait forthe numbers to tell them there's
a problem.
People first leaders see theproblem coming because they're
actually talking to theirpeople.
(08:14):
Now, I know what some of you arethinking.
I don't have time forone-on-ones.
I've got 12 direct reports.
I'm barely keeping my head abovewater.
But I hear you.
And I'm telling you, you don'thave time not to do one-on-ones.
Because every issue you'redealing with right now, the
(08:36):
miscon you know, themiscommunication, the missed
deadlines, the lack ofengagement, the turnover, all of
that, all of that would beprevented or caught early with
consistent one-on-ones.
And look, I've done a wholeseries on one-on-ones on this
podcast.
I went and looked it up, andhere's the episodes that I did.
(08:58):
There started June 14th of 2024,December 4th of 2024, and then
the most recent ones were June4th and 9th of this year, 2025.
I break down exactly how tostructure them, what to discuss,
how to make them effective.
And I have the actual documentsI use: templates, frameworks,
(09:20):
all of it.
If you want those, just reachout to me.
I am happy to share them becausethis is the foundation of
everything.
Start with the one-on-ones.
Everything else builds fromthere.
All right.
Let me tell you a story aboutwhy I'm so passionate about this
(09:41):
approach.
Years ago, I led a team of 20managers who were overseeing 350
employees.
This was a large, results-drivenorganization, very corporate,
very focused on the numbers.
And at that time, I didn't Ididn't even really know the
language, people firstleadership.
(10:01):
Okay.
I hadn't read the books or heardthe podcast.
I was just devoted to helping myteam be better leaders by
focusing on them and allowingthem to focus on their people.
So I implemented one-on-oneswith my 20 managers
consistently, every single oneof them.
And I coached them to do thesame with their team.
(10:25):
I focused on, get this, thepeople.
I developed them as leaders.
I removed barriers for them.
I advocated for them.
I treated them like humans, notresources.
And you know what happened?
It was the largest turnaround ofculture I've ever been a part
of.
(10:45):
Retention was just crazy andimproved dramatically.
Engagement scores went way up.
Performance went through theroof.
And the crazy part is here itis, 11 years after I left that
company, and those leaders stillstay in touch with me.
They still tell me about theirsuccesses.
(11:06):
They check in on me.
And I like to do the same withthem.
11 years later.
Think about that.
That doesn't happen when you'rejust managing by a spreadsheet.
That doesn't happen when you'reonly focused on results.
That happens when you genuinelyinvest in people and they know
(11:29):
it.
And here's the kicker.
I didn't change the companyculture.
I changed my team's culture.
And the results were undeniable.
So here's the strategy I wantyou to follow.
Fly under the radar.
Yeah.
Fly under the radar.
(11:49):
Don't make a big announcementthat you're going to be a people
first leader.
Don't start challenging theexisting culture or trying to
convert other leaders.
Okay.
Don't position yourself as therebel or the reformer.
Just quietly do what you knowyou're supposed to do.
Okay.
Focus on your team.
(12:10):
Implement your one-on-ones.
Build trust.
Develop your people.
Remove barriers.
Have the hard conversation andcelebrate the wins.
And then wait for the results tocome in.
Because when your retentionnumbers are better than the rest
of the company, people willnotice.
(12:30):
When your team is more engaged,people will notice.
When your team is performing ata different level and your
people are more satisfied, yeah,people will notice.
And that's when they'll startasking questions.
What are you doing differently?
How are you getting theseresults?
(12:51):
Why is your team culture sodifferent?
And that is when you have thechance to explain.
That's when you can actuallymake an impact beyond your team.
Because here's what happens.
Hear me.
There are other leaders in yourorganization who have secretly
wished to be better leaders, butthey were afraid to make waves.
(13:17):
They see what you're doing, theysee it's working, and suddenly,
what?
They're empowered to make thosechanges too.
And the leaders that you'vedeveloped, as they promote
within the company and theorganization, you know what
they're going to do.
They're going to take that sameblueprint and implement it with
(13:38):
their teams.
It becomes a healthy contagion.
Culture change from the insideout.
But hey, listen, it starts withyou quietly doing the right
thing with your team and lettingthe results speak for
themselves.
(14:00):
All right.
So let's get really practical.
If you're ready to be thatpeople first pioneer, here's
what you do this week.
First, commit to your team, notto the company, your team.
Make the decision that you'regoing to create a different
culture for the people youactually lead, regardless of
(14:23):
what's happening around you.
Second, schedule one-on-oneswith every single person on your
team.
If you haven't been doing them,start now.
If you have been doing them, butinconsistently, commit to
consistency.
Put them on the calendar andprotect that time like it's
(14:44):
sacred.
And third, in those one-on-ones,focus on both the person and the
performance.
Ask about what they're workingon, where they're stuck, what
barriers they're facing, butalso ask about how they're
doing, what they're learning,what they need from you as their
leader.
Fourth, track your results.
(15:06):
Not just the business metrics,but the people metrics.
How's your retention?
How's your engagement?
How's the morale on your team?
Because when those numbersimprove, that's your your proof
point.
And fifth, be patient.
Look, culture, culture changetakes time.
(15:29):
You're not going to transformeverything overnight.
But if you stay consistent, ifyou keep showing up for your
people, if you keep doing theright thing, even when it feels
like you're the only one, theresults will come.
And remember, you don't needpermission from the top to be a
great leader to your team.
(15:50):
You just need commitment.
So here's what I want you to do.
Stop waiting for your company tochange.
Stop waiting for permission tolead differently.
Start with your team.
Start with one-on-ones.
Start today.
And if you want help with this,if you want those one-on-one
(16:12):
templates I mentioned, if youwant to go back and listen to
that series on one-on-ones, doit or reach out to me.
I'm here to help you be theleader you know you're supposed
to be.
And if your organization needshelp building people first
culture, or if you need helpbeing that pioneer who starts
the change, let me help.
(16:33):
I'd love to.
I work with leaders and teamsthrough keynotes, executive
coaching, leadership training tobuild people-first cultures that
drive real results.
And for you executiveslistening, if you have the
authority to mandate culturalchange across your entire
organization and you want toknow how to do that effectively,
(16:53):
reach out to me.
We can talk aboutorganization-wide
transformation, not justteam-level change.
Let's have that conversation.
Everyone, you can connect withme on LinkedIn.
That link is in the show notes,or you can visit my website,
next stepadvisors.com.
There's no EN Next, just NXT.
(17:14):
And hey, if this episoderesonated with you, would you do
me a favor?
Subscribe to the show whereveryou listen to podcasts and leave
a review.
And then share this episode withanother leader who needs to hear
it.
Maybe they're feeling alone andtrying to lead differently.
Send this to them.
Let them know they're not alone.
That's how we grow thiscommunity and how we get the
(17:37):
word out to make a bigger impacton the workplace.
Because, hey, the more leaderswho get this stuff right, the
better workplaces become foreveryone.
And remember, keep focusing onyour team first, not fixing the
company.
Keep showing up consistently inyour one-on-ones and keep
(17:59):
proving that people firstleadership actually drives
better results.
And you know why?
Because those are the thingsthat leaders do.
SPEAKER_01 (18:13):
Thank you for listening to Things Leaders Do.
If you're looking for more tipson how to be a better leader, be
sure to subscribe to the podcastand listen to next week's
episode.
Until next time, keep working onbeing a better leader by doing
the things that leaders do.
People first leadership.
Actionable strategies, realresults.
This is Things Leaders Do withColby Morris.
SPEAKER_00 (00:11):
So you believe in people first leadership.
You know it's the right way tolead.
You've seen the research.
You've heard the stories.
You get it.
But here's the problem.
You look around and realizeyou're the only one who thinks
this way.
Your peers are managing by aspreadsheet.
(00:33):
Your boss talks about holdingpeople accountable like it's a
threat.
The culture rewards results atany cost.
And people are just resources tobe managed.
And you're sitting therewondering, can I actually do
this differently?
Am I just being naive?
(00:54):
Am I going to get eaten alivetrying to be the people first
leader in a results-onlyculture?
Here's what I want you to heartoday.
You can't change the entirecompany, not right now, but you
can change your team.
And that's a lot more powerfulthan you think.
(01:17):
Hey leaders, this is ColbyMorris, and this is the Things
Leaders Do podcast.
This podcast is designed to giveyou actionable strategies, just
help you be a better leaderfaster.
It's intentionally short,usually 15 to 23 minutes.
So you can listen on your way towork and implement something you
(01:39):
heard on the drive the minuteyou walk in the door.
I'm not really about theoryhere.
I want to give you the goodstuff.
Actionable tools that you canuse today.
And today?
Today we're talking about how tobe a people first pioneer in an
(02:01):
organization that just isn'tthere yet.
How to lead differently withoutgetting crushed.
And how one tool can changeeverything for your team, even
when the broader culture isworking against you.
So let me start with the twobiggest mistakes I see leaders
(02:23):
make when they want to be peoplefirst, but they're working in a
company that isn't.
That first mistake, well, theygive in to the overwhelm and
they just don't try at all.
They look at the culture aroundthem, they see how entrenched it
is, and they just think, what'sthe point?
I mean, I'm just one person.
I can't fight this.
(02:44):
So they conform.
They manage the way everyoneelse manages.
And a little piece of them diesevery time they treat it, try,
you know, try to treat theirpeople like numbers instead of
humans.
I've seen it happen over andover.
The second mistake is they giveup too early.
(03:06):
They start trying to leaddifferently, and then they hear
it from the older leaders or theresults-driven leaders.
You know what I'm talking about.
The things like you're being toonice, or you'll learn the hard
way, or my my personal favorite,you can't let them see you be
human.
Man, I hate that one.
(03:27):
It is such garbage advice.
And they they just hear itenough times, or maybe they they
get burned once.
You know, someone tries to takeadvantage of the people first
approach and they miss adeadline or takes advantage of
their flexibility.
And then they figure, you knowwhat?
I guess everyone else was right.
(03:47):
It's it's easier to just focuson results.
It's safer, it's less messy.
But here's what they're missing.
They're not actually trying tochange the culture of their
team.
They're trying to change thecompany, getting frustrated when
it doesn't work, and then givingup on their own team in the
process.
That's the trap.
(04:08):
And I don't want you to fallinto it.
Here's the paradigm shift I needyou to embrace.
Stop trying to change thecompany right now.
Just stop.
Now, let me be clear about whoI'm talking to here.
If you're in middle management,you're a director, a VP, a team
leader, you probably can'tmandate cultural changes across
(04:31):
the entire organization.
You don't have that kind ofauthority yet.
And that's okay.
That's actually where mostleaders listening to this are.
But if you're an executivelistening to this, you do have
the ability to mandate thesechanges across your
organization, and we'll talkabout that in a minute.
But even for you, the principlesstill apply here.
(04:55):
You still need to startsomewhere, prove it works, and
create that healthy contagion.
But for most of you listening,here's what you need to accept.
You can't control the companyculture.
You can't control what your bossvalues, you can't control how
your peers lead their teams.
(05:18):
But you know what you cancontrol?
Your team, your culture, yourdynamics?
Be committed to changing theculture of your team first and
only.
Be devoted to the leadership ofyour team.
That's where your actual poweris.
Think about it.
(05:39):
You have a sphere of influence.
Maybe it's five people, maybeit's 50.
Those people interact with youevery day.
They experience your leadership.
They're shaped by yourpriorities and your approach.
You can create a completelydifferent experience for those
people, regardless of what'shappening two departments over
(06:02):
or three levels up.
Here's what's really powerfulabout this.
When you focus on your team andget it right, the results speak
for themselves.
Your attention gets better, yourengagement goes up, your
performance improves, andsuddenly people start asking
questions.
But we're getting ahead ofourselves.
(06:23):
Let me tell you about the onetool that makes all of this
possible.
All right.
So if you're going to be apeople first pioneer in a
company that just isn't peoplefirst, here's what you need to
do first.
Implement 101s with your team.
I know you've heard me talkabout this, but listen, 101s are
(06:47):
the single greatest tool in theleader's toolbox.
Nothing else even comes close.
And I will die on that hill.
Here's why they're so powerful.
101s build trust andrelationships.
They address what I think of asMaslow's hierarchy of employee
needs.
People need to feel seen.
(07:08):
They need to feel heard, valued,developed.
One-on-ones do all of that.
But here's the part thatresults-driven leaders never
understand.
One-on-ones also make you moreeffective at hitting your goals,
not less.
Because when you're havingconsistent one-on-ones, results
(07:30):
are never a surprise.
You're measuring thingsconsistently.
You're discussing progressregularly.
You're identifying problemsearly.
You're focused on both theperson and the performance.
And if you need to pivot, youknow, make changes, you need to
remove barriers so you canactually make the goal.
(07:52):
You have that opportunity inreal time.
You're not waiting until the endof the quarter to realize
something went wrong.
Results-driven leaders wait forthe numbers to tell them there's
a problem.
People first leaders see theproblem coming because they're
actually talking to theirpeople.
(08:14):
Now, I know what some of you arethinking.
I don't have time forone-on-ones.
I've got 12 direct reports.
I'm barely keeping my head abovewater.
But I hear you.
And I'm telling you, you don'thave time not to do one-on-ones.
Because every issue you'redealing with right now, the
(08:36):
miscon you know, themiscommunication, the missed
deadlines, the lack ofengagement, the turnover, all of
that, all of that would beprevented or caught early with
consistent one-on-ones.
And look, I've done a wholeseries on one-on-ones on this
podcast.
I went and looked it up, andhere's the episodes that I did.
(08:58):
There started June 14th of 2024,December 4th of 2024, and then
the most recent ones were June4th and 9th of this year, 2025.
I break down exactly how tostructure them, what to discuss,
how to make them effective.
And I have the actual documentsI use: templates, frameworks,
(09:20):
all of it.
If you want those, just reachout to me.
I am happy to share them becausethis is the foundation of
everything.
Start with the one-on-ones.
Everything else builds fromthere.
All right.
Let me tell you a story aboutwhy I'm so passionate about this
(09:41):
approach.
Years ago, I led a team of 20managers who were overseeing 350
employees.
This was a large, results-drivenorganization, very corporate,
very focused on the numbers.
And at that time, I didn't Ididn't even really know the
language, people firstleadership.
(10:01):
Okay.
I hadn't read the books or heardthe podcast.
I was just devoted to helping myteam be better leaders by
focusing on them and allowingthem to focus on their people.
So I implemented one-on-oneswith my 20 managers
consistently, every single oneof them.
And I coached them to do thesame with their team.
(10:25):
I focused on, get this, thepeople.
I developed them as leaders.
I removed barriers for them.
I advocated for them.
I treated them like humans, notresources.
And you know what happened?
It was the largest turnaround ofculture I've ever been a part
of.
(10:45):
Retention was just crazy andimproved dramatically.
Engagement scores went way up.
Performance went through theroof.
And the crazy part is here itis, 11 years after I left that
company, and those leaders stillstay in touch with me.
They still tell me about theirsuccesses.
(11:06):
They check in on me.
And I like to do the same withthem.
11 years later.
Think about that.
That doesn't happen when you'rejust managing by a spreadsheet.
That doesn't happen when you'reonly focused on results.
That happens when you genuinelyinvest in people and they know
(11:29):
it.
And here's the kicker.
I didn't change the companyculture.
I changed my team's culture.
And the results were undeniable.
So here's the strategy I wantyou to follow.
Fly under the radar.
Yeah.
Fly under the radar.
(11:49):
Don't make a big announcementthat you're going to be a people
first leader.
Don't start challenging theexisting culture or trying to
convert other leaders.
Okay.
Don't position yourself as therebel or the reformer.
Just quietly do what you knowyou're supposed to do.
Okay.
Focus on your team.
(12:10):
Implement your one-on-ones.
Build trust.
Develop your people.
Remove barriers.
Have the hard conversation andcelebrate the wins.
And then wait for the results tocome in.
Because when your retentionnumbers are better than the rest
of the company, people willnotice.
(12:30):
When your team is more engaged,people will notice.
When your team is performing ata different level and your
people are more satisfied, yeah,people will notice.
And that's when they'll startasking questions.
What are you doing differently?
How are you getting theseresults?
(12:51):
Why is your team culture sodifferent?
And that is when you have thechance to explain.
That's when you can actuallymake an impact beyond your team.
Because here's what happens.
Hear me.
There are other leaders in yourorganization who have secretly
wished to be better leaders, butthey were afraid to make waves.
(13:17):
They see what you're doing, theysee it's working, and suddenly,
what?
They're empowered to make thosechanges too.
And the leaders that you'vedeveloped, as they promote
within the company and theorganization, you know what
they're going to do.
They're going to take that sameblueprint and implement it with
(13:38):
their teams.
It becomes a healthy contagion.
Culture change from the insideout.
But hey, listen, it starts withyou quietly doing the right
thing with your team and lettingthe results speak for
themselves.
(14:00):
All right.
So let's get really practical.
If you're ready to be thatpeople first pioneer, here's
what you do this week.
First, commit to your team, notto the company, your team.
Make the decision that you'regoing to create a different
culture for the people youactually lead, regardless of
(14:23):
what's happening around you.
Second, schedule one-on-oneswith every single person on your
team.
If you haven't been doing them,start now.
If you have been doing them, butinconsistently, commit to
consistency.
Put them on the calendar andprotect that time like it's
(14:44):
sacred.
And third, in those one-on-ones,focus on both the person and the
performance.
Ask about what they're workingon, where they're stuck, what
barriers they're facing, butalso ask about how they're
doing, what they're learning,what they need from you as their
leader.
Fourth, track your results.
(15:06):
Not just the business metrics,but the people metrics.
How's your retention?
How's your engagement?
How's the morale on your team?
Because when those numbersimprove, that's your your proof
point.
And fifth, be patient.
Look, culture, culture changetakes time.
(15:29):
You're not going to transformeverything overnight.
But if you stay consistent, ifyou keep showing up for your
people, if you keep doing theright thing, even when it feels
like you're the only one, theresults will come.
And remember, you don't needpermission from the top to be a
great leader to your team.
(15:50):
You just need commitment.
So here's what I want you to do.
Stop waiting for your company tochange.
Stop waiting for permission tolead differently.
Start with your team.
Start with one-on-ones.
Start today.
And if you want help with this,if you want those one-on-one
(16:12):
templates I mentioned, if youwant to go back and listen to
that series on one-on-ones, doit or reach out to me.
I'm here to help you be theleader you know you're supposed
to be.
And if your organization needshelp building people first
culture, or if you need helpbeing that pioneer who starts
the change, let me help.
(16:33):
I'd love to.
I work with leaders and teamsthrough keynotes, executive
coaching, leadership training tobuild people-first cultures that
drive real results.
And for you executiveslistening, if you have the
authority to mandate culturalchange across your entire
organization and you want toknow how to do that effectively,
(16:53):
reach out to me.
We can talk aboutorganization-wide
transformation, not justteam-level change.
Let's have that conversation.
Everyone, you can connect withme on LinkedIn.
That link is in the show notes,or you can visit my website,
next stepadvisors.com.
There's no EN Next, just NXT.
(17:14):
And hey, if this episoderesonated with you, would you do
me a favor?
Subscribe to the show whereveryou listen to podcasts and leave
a review.
And then share this episode withanother leader who needs to hear
it.
Maybe they're feeling alone andtrying to lead differently.
Send this to them.
Let them know they're not alone.
That's how we grow thiscommunity and how we get the
(17:37):
word out to make a bigger impacton the workplace.
Because, hey, the more leaderswho get this stuff right, the
better workplaces become foreveryone.
And remember, keep focusing onyour team first, not fixing the
company.
Keep showing up consistently inyour one-on-ones and keep
(17:59):
proving that people firstleadership actually drives
better results.
And you know why?
Because those are the thingsthat leaders do.
SPEAKER_01 (18:13):
Thank you for listening to Things Leaders Do.
If you're looking for more tipson how to be a better leader, be
sure to subscribe to the podcastand listen to next week's
episode.
Until next time, keep working onbeing a better leader by doing
the things that leaders do.
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