The Leader Factor

In this week's episode of Culture by Design, Junior and Dr. Tim Clark discuss a daunting but important question: What do you do with a toxic leader? Too often, organizations will either do nothing or wait too long to react to evidence of harmful leadership. But toxic cultures can't and won't heal themselves. And the remedy largely depends on the kind of leader you're dealing with. Listen in as Tim and Junior explore the characteristics of toxic leaders, the consequences of toxic behavior, and the role of culture in creating, maintaining or preventing toxicity. You'll learn how to distinguish between an actively toxic and passively complicit leader, and discover how to hold your leaders culturally accountable for their behavior.‍TakeawaysToxic leaders exist and can have a significant impact on organizations.Toxic leadership is often a result of insecurity and unmet human needs.Actively toxic leaders should be removed from the organization, while passively complicit leaders can be coached and held accountable.Tolerance for toxic behavior leads to the normalization of toxicity and can have long-term consequences for the organization.It is important to prioritize long-term thinking and hold leaders accountable for their behavior.‍Chapters00:00 Introduction04:11 Pathological Behavior and Consequences of Toxicity10:26 Culture and Toxicity17:02 Toxic Leadership and Unmet Human Needs22:18 Identifying Actively Toxic and Passively Complicit Leaders26:21 Passively Complicit Leaders35:15 Actively Toxic Leaders43:11 Long-Term Thinking and Tolerance for Toxicity

Exploring the shift to strategic leadership, balancing preservation with innovation, and principles for effective leadership in business. Emphasizing the importance of decision-making, enterprise-level responsibility, and clear goals for strategic success.

Transitioning from individual contributor to leading a team requires a shift in mindset and skills. Building trust is crucial for teams to accomplish more together. Effective coaching involves collaboration and transferring critical thinking. The podcast discusses the challenges and difficulties of the transition, the importance of teams in solving complex problems, and the significance of trust and mentoring in leadership.

In this podcast, Tim and Junior discuss the importance of personal accountability in leadership. They emphasize the cultivation of wellness, self-awareness, and a growth mindset. They also share insights on the four levels of contribution in leadership and the need for willingness and self-awareness in leading oneself. The hosts share their personal learning habits and encourage curiosity and consuming quality information.

Tim and Junior discuss the misconceptions and importance of psychological safety in the workplace. They debunk the idea that excessive psychological safety leads to a lack of accountability. They emphasize the leader's role in defining operational limits and creating a safe environment for employees to contribute. The speakers challenge the notion that accountability always comes with fear and share personal experiences. They highlight the importance of context, risks, and innovation, emphasizing the need for continual incremental improvement while still adhering to protocols. Ultimately, they explore the concept of striking a balance between psychological safety and accountability.

Tips for challenging the status quo include being transparent about risks, building credibility, knowing your boss, framing dissent as exploration, and using data for support. Emphasizing the importance of maintaining intellectual friction while minimizing social friction, the podcast explores the emotional nuances of curiosity and contradiction. It also highlights the significance of aligning requests with evidence and nurturing analytical thinking for effective change management.

Tim and Junior discuss how to challenge the status quo in organizations, offering tips like anticipating opportunities, asking for permission, starting with inquiry, and modeling emotional intelligence. They highlight the importance of effective communication, emotional intelligence, and understanding the past when challenging entrenched paradigms.

Original Air Date: November 21, 2022The culture dilemma (00:45). Many organizations tell us that they want to improve their culture, but often don’t know where to start. What does an unhealthy culture look like? What symptoms need to be identified and treated?The definition of culture (02:30). Culture is the way we interact. It exists anywhere where there are humans. Parts of it are visible, while other parts of culture, not so much.  How does culture work? (16:00) You don’t fix a culture at the top of an organization, but you can influence it at the team level. Teams need to improve their interactions by modeling and rewarding the vulnerabilities of their colleagues. What’s the solution? (31:00) If you want good culture, you need high levels of psychological safety. Psychological safety solves for culture at the level of interaction. Building great culture is a process (50:00). Just like fostering trust takes a certain level of consistency over time, psychological safety is delicate and dynamic. It requires consistent effort and deliberate action in order to build and maintain.The Complete Guide to Psychological SafetyThe Ladder of VulnerabilityThe 4 Stages Behavior Guide

Tim and Junior discuss how high-performing teams are formed and maintained. They focus on the core four patterns of high-performing teams: connecting, improving skills, transparency and autonomy, and continuous innovation. They emphasize the benefits of improving team performance, the importance of team connection, and continuous learning. They also discuss the correlation between team longevity and improved performance, the importance of dependability and continuous improvement, and assessing team performance.

In this year in review episode, the hosts of Culture by Design interview members of the LeaderFactor team. They discuss the growing interest in psychological safety, practical strategies for implementation, and the experiences of individual contributors. They also explore the importance of measuring psychological safety, tracking progress over time, and making consistent efforts for cultural transformation.