As a Leader, How Are You Influencing Your Team Without Realising It?

People look to leaders. They are quick to see what is expected and rewarded through the actions they see around them. They spot the disconnect between what is said and what is done.

It’s difficult to recognise the influence that sometimes small actions can have on the people around us, for example:

Skipping lunch

We’ve probably all exclaimed in a meeting that we’ve been too busy to grab lunch, or that we’re off-camera because we’re eating.

What this says to the team

• breaks aren’t valued or important. You need to power through lunch to be more productive

Emailing or working from holiday

As leaders, we may feel we need to be continually engaged or available and believe this is helpful for the team.

What this says to the team

• if you want to be successful, you can’t switch off for a holiday
• I don’t trust you to keep things moving while I’m away

Be the culture you want to see

We have results and personal objectives to achieve. But are also responsible for creating a culture, which comes from our actions more than from what we say.

It’s not about being perfect. For example, I was recently reminded by a colleague that wasn’t going to be helpful, for me or the team for me to join an important meeting from holiday. Yet at the time I thought I needed to be.

Pausing to consider the unintended effects our actions may have or communicating with our teams, for example planning around holidays, can make a big difference to support the culture you want to see.