March 5, 2024 • 12 mins
We’re continuing with the #LeaderSHIFT series on the podcast this week. These episodes are very direct & to the point, where we'll talk about the different challenges leaders tend to face & how to shift into becoming an influential leader who leads a healthy culture & engaged team!
In this episode, I’m sharing how you can shift from focusing on complaints to prioritizing your contribution!
Need one-on-one help with your employee engagement plan? Schedule your complimentary clarity call with me here! www.baproinc.com/ep156
Apply to join the New Leader, BIG IMPACT Coaching Program to level up your leadership & build an engaging team... even if the culture is toxic & without management's support! https://baproinc.com/newleaderbigimpact
Questions about this episode? Topic suggestions for future episodes? Send them to culture@businessadvocatespro.com
Let's chat about this episode on Twitter: @BAPROINC or IG: @CultureBuildingPRO
The Culture Building like a PRO Podcast: Simple ways to transform your company culture... Today!
| Company Culture | Culture Building | Organizational Culture | Employee Engagement | Effective Leadership | Servant Leadership |
baproinc.com
In this episode, I’m sharing how you can shift from focusing on complaints to prioritizing your contribution!
Need one-on-one help with your employee engagement plan? Schedule your complimentary clarity call with me here! www.baproinc.com/ep156
Apply to join the New Leader, BIG IMPACT Coaching Program to level up your leadership & build an engaging team... even if the culture is toxic & without management's support! https://baproinc.com/newleaderbigimpact
Questions about this episode? Topic suggestions for future episodes? Send them to culture@businessadvocatespro.com
Let's chat about this episode on Twitter: @BAPROINC or IG: @CultureBuildingPRO
The Culture Building like a PRO Podcast: Simple ways to transform your company culture... Today!
| Company Culture | Culture Building | Organizational Culture | Employee Engagement | Effective Leadership | Servant Leadership |
baproinc.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:04):
Welcome to the Culture Building Like aPro podcast, helping small business owners and
managers lead a company culture where employeesare engaged to do their best work because
they want to and not because theyhave to. Now, let's jump start
your culture transformation with company culture strategists, leadership coach and trainer Deanna Appling.
(00:28):
Happy Tuesday, and thanks for listeningto the Culture Building Like a Pro Podcast.
I'm Diana and I'm excited to beback this week. We are going
strong, we are making strides.We are getting at least one percent better
every day every episode, and we'redoing that by implementing what we are talking
(00:52):
about here in these hash tag Leadershiftepisodes. In these episodes, we get
direct to the point and we talkabout common challenges that leaders face that don't
get talked about enough. So we'regoing into detail in simple shifts and ways
that we can overcome these challenges,but more importantly, how we shift into
(01:15):
the level of leadership that creates animpact and influences excellence among your team.
I had a conversation with someone recentlywho has been experiencing some issues on the
job. Overall, they're just nothappy with where they are, meaning the
(01:37):
company that they work for and thethings that are happening, and it's always
something going on, and so we'vebeen talking about a lot of these issues
that they've been facing for a while. And I understand it. I completely
understand being in a position and workingfor a company or even a particular manager
(02:01):
who is just not a good fit. You don't want to be there anymore.
And it's very evident. And itgot to a point in having a
conversation with this person where it wasjust so much complaining about what's happening,
what's wrong, Why so and soisn't doing something right, And you know,
(02:22):
they were opening the door for meto share my thoughts or maybe some
suggestions or recommendations, and I didso. But it was interesting because everything
that I shared, anything that Ioffered as a possible solution or even perspective
shift about the situation, they immediatelyshut it down. You basically just kept
(02:46):
pointing out the reasons why it couldnever work and just focusing on the complaints.
And what's funny is that even thoughthis was a fairly recent conversation with
someone that I know, this isnot something that doesn't happen all the time.
I'm sure You can probably relate tohearing somebody complain so much about a
(03:10):
job or a manager, but notquite focusing on what they can do in
the situation. You may have evenexperienced this yourself. You may even be
in those shoes right now. Butthe thing is, while we cannot control
an entire company, we cannot controla manager executive leadership. There are a
(03:35):
lot of things within a company thatwe have zero control over, but there
is one thing that we do havesole control over. Can you guess what
it is? It's you. It'sme. I have control over me,
You have control of you. Andin today's leadershift, we are talking about
(03:59):
how we can intendly make the shiftfrom just only complaining about what's wrong with
the company, complaining about what's wrongwith the people on your team, and
start contributing to the change you wantto see occur. And that is through
influence, the power of influence.Leaders who fail to understand the value and
(04:27):
the power of their own influence caninavertently sow seeds of toxicity in their workplace
culture with their team. Your influenceis like a ripple effect, and it
impacts not only the work environment butalso the overall employee experience. So let's
look at a few ways unconscious negativeinfluences and complaining can lead to a toxic
(04:56):
culture. Number one, it leadsto constant cris so leaders who habitually criticize
without offering constructive solutions and feedback andcorrection create a culture of fear and even
demotivation for their team. It alsoleads to micromanaging, so you start to
hover over every task that you havegiven your team, every decision that a
(05:24):
team member is supposed to make.And this sends a message of distrust and
it stops creativity. It stops criticalthinking and problem solving, and it prevents
your team from having the autonomy todo their job and do it well.
It also leads to a lack oftransparency. When you are influencing your team
(05:46):
in a negative way, even ifit's subconsciously, you begin to withhold information
and that in turn breeds uncertainty andagain it damages the trust within your team.
It also leads to a failure torecognize achievements. I mean, let's
think about this. If we're constantlyfocusing on the negative, what's wrong the
(06:10):
complaints? How often is it thatyou are acknowledging and celebrating the accomplishments of
your team and as a leader,when you neglect to do this, it
diminishes the overall morale of your team. And also, unconscious negative influences also
lead to a leader being resistant tochange. Sometimes even though we may not
(06:36):
realize it, if we're solely focusingon what's being done wrong, all of
the negative aspects, it slowly pullsus away from looking at this as opportunities
to change to being resistant to changebecause we're not opening the door to even
consider what else could be done.This hinders innovation, and it creates and
(07:00):
stagnant, unresponsive, and toxic culture. Now, all of these ways,
again, they are negative influences thatare a result of just focusing on the
negative and complaining only. And eventhough we don't realize we're falling into this
trap, and some of these behaviorscan be unconscious, they are still things
(07:20):
that we are responsible for. Sonow we're going to talk about the intentional
ways that you can shift into contributingto the change that you want to see,
and that is by taking control ofyour influence. Because you can't control
you, not others. So hereare six actionable ways that you can do
(07:43):
this. Number One, you cancontribute to the change you want to see
through your influence by shifting your perspective. Simply put, instead of focusing on
what's wrong, shift your perspective towhat you can contribute. Barack Obamama said
it best. Yes, we cansee challenges as opportunities for growth and improvement
(08:09):
and do it on purpose. It'svery easy to focus on what's wrong,
but it takes courage to look atwhat's wrong as an opportunity for you to
contribute to making it right or better. Number two Lead by example. Intentionally
demonstrate the behaviors and attitudes you wantto see in your team. Your actions
(08:35):
speak louder than words, and settingthe standard for a positive and proactive culture
means that you are doing what youwant to see done. Number three,
encourage open communication. Foster of cultureof open communication where your team feels comfortable
(08:58):
and safe share their thoughts or ideas. And I emphasize a safe environment because
you don't want your team to fearretaliation because they're being honest about things that
they're seeing or the thoughts that theyhave, and things that could be done
differently in the workplace or from yourleadership. So encourage feedback from your team
(09:22):
and be receptive to their perspectives,even if they are different from yours.
Number four, provide solutions, notjust complaints. When you identify an issue,
don't stop at complaining about it,but offer constructive solutions and be an
active participant in finding resolutions. Thisis you controlling how you contribute to the
(09:48):
change, not just the complaint.And this also helps you be proactive with
how you influence others when they seeproblems. When they identify issues, they'll
then be more inclined to contribute solutionsand not just negative complaints. Number five,
(10:09):
celebrate the successes. Recognize and celebrateachievements both big and small, because
this cultivates a culture of appreciation andit motivates your team to strive for excellence.
And lastly, to make that shiftfrom complaining about what's wrong with the
company with the team to contributing tothe change you want to see. Embrace
(10:35):
change and be adaptable. Embrace newideas, technologies, methodologies, processes.
You can set the stage for acompany that drives change by valuing innovation and
continuous improvement. If this episode washelpful for you, I would love it.
(10:56):
If you can leave an honest ratingand review Apple podcasts, and also
take one step further and share itwith someone you know or just simply share
it on social media. It wouldmean a lot to me and I would
love it if we can continue togrow our community here. Remember that your
(11:16):
influence is a powerful force that canshape a positive and healthy culture, and
by being intentional about shifting your perspective, leading by example, providing solutions,
and embracing change, you can createa work environment that inspires growth, collaboration,
(11:37):
and ultimately excellence. While you can'tcontrol the entire company or the people
in it, there's one person whoyou can control, and that one person
can contribute to the change you wantto see, and that's you. Have
a great week.
Welcome to the Culture Building Like aPro podcast, helping small business owners and
managers lead a company culture where employeesare engaged to do their best work because
they want to and not because theyhave to. Now, let's jump start
your culture transformation with company culture strategists, leadership coach and trainer Deanna Appling.
(00:28):
Happy Tuesday, and thanks for listeningto the Culture Building Like a Pro Podcast.
I'm Diana and I'm excited to beback this week. We are going
strong, we are making strides.We are getting at least one percent better
every day every episode, and we'redoing that by implementing what we are talking
(00:52):
about here in these hash tag Leadershiftepisodes. In these episodes, we get
direct to the point and we talkabout common challenges that leaders face that don't
get talked about enough. So we'regoing into detail in simple shifts and ways
that we can overcome these challenges,but more importantly, how we shift into
(01:15):
the level of leadership that creates animpact and influences excellence among your team.
I had a conversation with someone recentlywho has been experiencing some issues on the
job. Overall, they're just nothappy with where they are, meaning the
(01:37):
company that they work for and thethings that are happening, and it's always
something going on, and so we'vebeen talking about a lot of these issues
that they've been facing for a while. And I understand it. I completely
understand being in a position and workingfor a company or even a particular manager
(02:01):
who is just not a good fit. You don't want to be there anymore.
And it's very evident. And itgot to a point in having a
conversation with this person where it wasjust so much complaining about what's happening,
what's wrong, Why so and soisn't doing something right, And you know,
(02:22):
they were opening the door for meto share my thoughts or maybe some
suggestions or recommendations, and I didso. But it was interesting because everything
that I shared, anything that Ioffered as a possible solution or even perspective
shift about the situation, they immediatelyshut it down. You basically just kept
(02:46):
pointing out the reasons why it couldnever work and just focusing on the complaints.
And what's funny is that even thoughthis was a fairly recent conversation with
someone that I know, this isnot something that doesn't happen all the time.
I'm sure You can probably relate tohearing somebody complain so much about a
(03:10):
job or a manager, but notquite focusing on what they can do in
the situation. You may have evenexperienced this yourself. You may even be
in those shoes right now. Butthe thing is, while we cannot control
an entire company, we cannot controla manager executive leadership. There are a
(03:35):
lot of things within a company thatwe have zero control over, but there
is one thing that we do havesole control over. Can you guess what
it is? It's you. It'sme. I have control over me,
You have control of you. Andin today's leadershift, we are talking about
(03:59):
how we can intendly make the shiftfrom just only complaining about what's wrong with
the company, complaining about what's wrongwith the people on your team, and
start contributing to the change you wantto see occur. And that is through
influence, the power of influence.Leaders who fail to understand the value and
(04:27):
the power of their own influence caninavertently sow seeds of toxicity in their workplace
culture with their team. Your influenceis like a ripple effect, and it
impacts not only the work environment butalso the overall employee experience. So let's
look at a few ways unconscious negativeinfluences and complaining can lead to a toxic
(04:56):
culture. Number one, it leadsto constant cris so leaders who habitually criticize
without offering constructive solutions and feedback andcorrection create a culture of fear and even
demotivation for their team. It alsoleads to micromanaging, so you start to
hover over every task that you havegiven your team, every decision that a
(05:24):
team member is supposed to make.And this sends a message of distrust and
it stops creativity. It stops criticalthinking and problem solving, and it prevents
your team from having the autonomy todo their job and do it well.
It also leads to a lack oftransparency. When you are influencing your team
(05:46):
in a negative way, even ifit's subconsciously, you begin to withhold information
and that in turn breeds uncertainty andagain it damages the trust within your team.
It also leads to a failure torecognize achievements. I mean, let's
think about this. If we're constantlyfocusing on the negative, what's wrong the
(06:10):
complaints? How often is it thatyou are acknowledging and celebrating the accomplishments of
your team and as a leader,when you neglect to do this, it
diminishes the overall morale of your team. And also, unconscious negative influences also
lead to a leader being resistant tochange. Sometimes even though we may not
(06:36):
realize it, if we're solely focusingon what's being done wrong, all of
the negative aspects, it slowly pullsus away from looking at this as opportunities
to change to being resistant to changebecause we're not opening the door to even
consider what else could be done.This hinders innovation, and it creates and
(07:00):
stagnant, unresponsive, and toxic culture. Now, all of these ways,
again, they are negative influences thatare a result of just focusing on the
negative and complaining only. And eventhough we don't realize we're falling into this
trap, and some of these behaviorscan be unconscious, they are still things
(07:20):
that we are responsible for. Sonow we're going to talk about the intentional
ways that you can shift into contributingto the change that you want to see,
and that is by taking control ofyour influence. Because you can't control
you, not others. So hereare six actionable ways that you can do
(07:43):
this. Number One, you cancontribute to the change you want to see
through your influence by shifting your perspective. Simply put, instead of focusing on
what's wrong, shift your perspective towhat you can contribute. Barack Obamama said
it best. Yes, we cansee challenges as opportunities for growth and improvement
(08:09):
and do it on purpose. It'svery easy to focus on what's wrong,
but it takes courage to look atwhat's wrong as an opportunity for you to
contribute to making it right or better. Number two Lead by example. Intentionally
demonstrate the behaviors and attitudes you wantto see in your team. Your actions
(08:35):
speak louder than words, and settingthe standard for a positive and proactive culture
means that you are doing what youwant to see done. Number three,
encourage open communication. Foster of cultureof open communication where your team feels comfortable
(08:58):
and safe share their thoughts or ideas. And I emphasize a safe environment because
you don't want your team to fearretaliation because they're being honest about things that
they're seeing or the thoughts that theyhave, and things that could be done
differently in the workplace or from yourleadership. So encourage feedback from your team
(09:22):
and be receptive to their perspectives,even if they are different from yours.
Number four, provide solutions, notjust complaints. When you identify an issue,
don't stop at complaining about it,but offer constructive solutions and be an
active participant in finding resolutions. Thisis you controlling how you contribute to the
(09:48):
change, not just the complaint.And this also helps you be proactive with
how you influence others when they seeproblems. When they identify issues, they'll
then be more inclined to contribute solutionsand not just negative complaints. Number five,
(10:09):
celebrate the successes. Recognize and celebrateachievements both big and small, because
this cultivates a culture of appreciation andit motivates your team to strive for excellence.
And lastly, to make that shiftfrom complaining about what's wrong with the
company with the team to contributing tothe change you want to see. Embrace
(10:35):
change and be adaptable. Embrace newideas, technologies, methodologies, processes.
You can set the stage for acompany that drives change by valuing innovation and
continuous improvement. If this episode washelpful for you, I would love it.
(10:56):
If you can leave an honest ratingand review Apple podcasts, and also
take one step further and share itwith someone you know or just simply share
it on social media. It wouldmean a lot to me and I would
love it if we can continue togrow our community here. Remember that your
(11:16):
influence is a powerful force that canshape a positive and healthy culture, and
by being intentional about shifting your perspective, leading by example, providing solutions,
and embracing change, you can createa work environment that inspires growth, collaboration,
(11:37):
and ultimately excellence. While you can'tcontrol the entire company or the people
in it, there's one person whoyou can control, and that one person
can contribute to the change you wantto see, and that's you. Have
a great week.
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