When it comes to company culture, leaders have an outsized influence. They set the tone—positive or negative—for the rest of their team members. Which means, as a leader, you’ll want to ask yourself, “Am I modeling positive behavior?”
Every time a leader models positive behavior, their company takes a step in a healthy direction. The opposite is true as well: every time a leader misbehaves, the culture is damaged. For leaders, there are no neutral interactions. That said, leadership doesn’t always happen at the top. Even as an individual contributor on a team, you can still make a difference.
You influence your colleagues through the values and behaviors that you choose to model. Cumulatively, these actions have a tremendous impact on the culture of those around you. To positively impact the culture, you’ll want to offer support to your colleagues. You’ll want to make them feel heard, valued, and included. Lastly, you’ll want to forgive their mistakes without judgment or anger.
Model these positive behaviors for your employees, and a healthy culture will follow.