Culture decay
Workplace culture almost never fixes itself. That's exactly why if you have issues you need to address them now.
And yet, many leaders wait for the ‘perfect moment’ to tackle culture problems, while their best employees quietly update their resumes.
If one of your objectives this year is to transform your organisation or team's culture, to rebuild trust, to reconnect disconnected teams and foster genuine collaboration, you can't afford to wait for ideal conditions. The cost of delay compounds daily – in lost productivity, decreased creativity and, most critically, in talented people who choose to leave.
Dysfunctional workplaces need intervention precisely because they're dysfunctional. Every day you wait the problems become more entrenched, behaviors become more normalised and cynicism grows deeper.
Your organisation needs cultural leadership most when morale is at its lowest. Waiting will only enhance the chances of toxicity taking root, at which point change will only be possible with a new set of leaders.
If your culture needs work, it’s not the time to wait and see; it’s the time to act. Any other approach will lead to a never-ending cycle of culture decay.