How to Lead in a Caustic Culture

To lead in a caustic culture, focus on your influence.

It’s a question we hear after every keynote we deliver: “I want to build a Courageous Culture, but I don’t know if it will work at my company. It’s not a healthy place and the people I report to aren’t interested in doing things well or better. How do I lead in such a caustic culture?”

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By the way – this question isn’t limited to frontline leaders or middle-level managers. We’ve also heard it from CEOs who feel that their Board of Directors insists on negative or ineffective strategies.

Reclaim Your Power

You can’t lead well when you feel like a victim. It saps your energy and your team will sense the lack of confidence. When you’re stuck wishing things we’re different, you can’t create positive change.

I’ve been there—and it stinks. Your leader is in a bad mood and starts giving you directives you know aren’t healthy. If you pass that negativity and anger to your team, you’ll crush motivation and innovation. But they’re the boss, right?

Not exactly.

To quickly shift out of feeling like a victim, you’ve got to reclaim your power. There are two quick ways to do this. First, remember that you are in full control of yourself. Your boss or Board don’t choose how you act, how you treat your people, or what kind of culture you create.

That choice belongs to you.

They can set the goals and they may define a frustrating process you must follow – but how you engage with the people around is always your choice. I think of it as if I’m a lightning rod. Take the harsh energy you receive and dissipate it into the ground. Pass on the goals, objectives, and healthy outcomes.

The second step to reclaim your power is to ask yourself this question:  “How can I?” eg:

How can I…

• “treat my people with respect and dignity as we implement this?”
• “call my team back to our values and help us to be our best selves?”
• “advocate for better systems and solutions?”

These “How can I” questions help you reclaim your power because they focus on activities that you can do. Notice the question isn’t “How can I get my boss to change?” Instead, the focus is on you—what can you do right now?

If it feels overwhelming, find the smallest next step. Taking action, even a small action, to be the leader you want to be will help you reclaim your power and stop feeling like a victim.

Build a Cultural Oasis

Once you’ve reclaimed your power, it’s time to build something positive. When you lead in a caustic culture, one of the most important actions you can take is to build a cultural oasis.

In the desert, an oasis is a place of nourishment and peace. You can drink, rest, and resupply for your journey.

Think of your team or your circle of influence as that oasis in the desert of your overall culture. When people interact with you and your team, how can they come away refreshed? How will they experience respect, be seen, and treated with dignity?

Find the Others

Sometimes building a cultural oasis is not about overcoming a caustic culture, but finding ways to build and expand pockets of excellence. In a recent Leadership Without Losing Your Soul podcast episode, I interviewed Jamie Marsden. He wanted to enhance their high-performance results-focused culture and give leaders the tools they needed to also invest more deeply in human relationships.

Over time he and his team have built a voluntary grassroots community of practice filled with managers from across the company who are committed to healthy people management. When I asked him for his best piece of advice for a leader who has an idea like his and wants to create change, his advice simply:

“Find the others.”

I love that—as you build your cultural oasis, find the others. Who can you connect with who is committed to Winning Well and building a Courageous Culture? Share what you’re doing, support one another, and expand your oasis.

Find the others—inside your organization. In your community. Online and across the world. Many leaders around the world are committed to leading well. You’re not alone.

Your Turn: How to Lead in a Caustic Culture

I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment and share: When you’ve experienced a caustic culture, how did you lead well and build a cultural oasis for your people?