In this second of a series of short blogs/posts on workplace toxicity I talk about the role of leaders, leading the way in challenging, repairing and improving such cultures, but also needing to be aware of when they can be the passive or active enablers* of that very same toxic culture.

The passive leader may just be oblivious of the toxicity, often because they are too focused on what is immediately in front of them. So focused on results, business outcomes, objectives and personal achievement that they tend not to look any further than these aspects. They seem to be blind to the bigger picture. They are more concerned with the what, than the how and why. More transactional than relational in their approach. They stop remembering to notice, or care, about how the results are being achieved, or not. They stop paying attention…

…and leaders always need to pay attention.

The active enabler of toxicity is the leader that has noticed what is going on; they are aware of the situation and the impact it is having on the organisation and the people in it, but, for a range of reasons, they look away and take no further action, often hoping that someone else will speak up and address the matter. This could be because of fear, self-interest or feeling that they have a lack of power to take any action and exercise any influence. They may feel overworked, overwhelmed or overloaded. They could feel hopeless, helpless and disheartened due to feeling that nothing will be done if they say anything, and I suppose they could simply have stopped caring, have become ‘comfortably (or uncomfortably) numb’.

So, there is the glass half empty scenario. Let us now top the glass up.

Toxicity is not an inevitability, and it can be prevented, mitigated against, and dealt with, if, and when, it arises. Leaders need to be paying attention, be constantly curious and vigiliant, and need to know what to look out for and to take, and be supported to take, prompt and proactive action when it shows up.

Compassion and its component parts will help with this.

Compassion can be first aid, cure and preventative medicine in these circumstances. We could think of compassion as awareness, antiseptic and antidote, but for leaders to be able to apply the right treatment at the right time they need to be ready, able, and willing to get involved and have the right back-up in place if more assistance is required. Leaders need to be constantly carrying their compassion kit around with them and the 360° of Compassion Framework I offer, forms the foundation to that.

Having compassion means paying attention to the impact of the organisational systems, processes, culture, values, habits and practices on the people within it. To consider how these things cause, prevent, or mitigate suffering. Whether they exclude, discriminate, disrespect, demean and diminish or whether they include, respect, support, enable, empower, and drive fairness and trust.

With compassion as our leadership guide, we show care for people and consider how they experience the workplace and the systems that support it, and how that impacts on them and the business. We then modify what we need to, when we need to in response to our findings, ensuring our people are enabled to thrive, achieve, and stay well.

That is, I believe, a compelling call to action for leaders everywhere.

Steve Hargreaves is an Author, Coach and Chief Compassion Officer at The Compassionate Leadership Company.

*https://hbr.org/2019/08/are-you-enabling-a-toxic-culture-without-realizing-it?ab=at_art_art_1x1