COLIN ON CULTURE
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The Dark Triad Toxic Leaders
Exposing the harm of narcissistic, psychopathic, and Machiavellian traits in the workplace
Leading on and off the field
Sports is starting to take culture seriously and if teams want to see sustained performance it’s important that more follow St Helens’ lead.
It’ll never be us
Toxic culture is every organisation’s biggest risk. Toxic cultures harm humans, results and reputations. But they are preventable.
Subcultures the catalyst for change
By understanding and nurturing subcultures, organisations can drive culture change and improve overall employee engagement
Toxic culture and UFOs
In almost all cases of reports into toxic cultures, the first response from senior leaders has either been to deny the existence of toxic culture or else to pretend that what’s obvious to everyone else, isn’t obvious to them.
Winning
Winning is not about crushing the competition or stepping on colleagues; it's about creating an environment where winning becomes a natural outcome of doing things properly.
Cynics and sceptics
What’s the difference and why does it matter for your workplace culture?
Entitled or just badly managed?
There’s a trend for CEOs to blame ‘entitled’ employees for the resistance to returning to the office - but take a look in the mirror and you’ll see a lack of managerial skill reflected.
If you can't stand the heat
The culinary (and corporate) world has long perpetuated the myth that enduring abuse is somehow a badge of honour, a rite of passage that transforms good chefs and leaders into great ones.
The Wellbeing Program Paradox
As a culture consultant, I see too many organisations trying to meditation-app their way out of fundamental workplace issues. It's like putting a plaster on a broken leg. Instead, invest in creating healthy cultures from the ground up and build something worth being part of.
What HR needs to change to regain employee trust
HR departments are facing a crisis of confidence, increasingly seen as complicit in toxic workplace cultures rather than agents of positive change. The future of HR lies in creating environments where employees feel safe, respected, and empowered to thrive.
Culture Rots From The Top
Toxic culture is the biggest risk to every organisation, regardless of size, industry or country. It can destroy lives, results, reputations and the organisation itself. Ignoring it will only make things worse. Take a different approach and turn toxicity around.
How to measure your culture (in a meaningful way)
Traditional employee engagement surveys are so narrow in focus it’s like trying to understand a complex ecosystem by only studying one species. We need to broaden our lens. Introducing the Five Cultures Quiz.
Is your culture slowly rotting?
The signs of a toxic culture are there if you’re willing to look. And then you must take action to stop the rot.
Waiting to fix something that’s broken
Cracked cultures won’t fix themselves - the problems will build up until bursting point. This is a cautionary tale of what happens when we wait to do the work to improve the workplace
The importance of building a speak up culture
Leaders are good at telling people to speak up, but often don’t do anything with the information. Here are my insights into how to create a true 'speak up' culture.
Lazy Communication Hurts Culture
Communication is an important culture conduit that we often get very wrong.
By putting just a little more thought and intent into our communication we can build bridges rather than put up walls.
Who’s responsible for toxic culture?
Culture belongs to everyone - but we have to intentionally create the conditions for a vibrant culture that encourages ownership and that means managers and employees need to know what’s expected of them and why.
Toxic Culture Isn't Inevitable
The signs of toxicity in any culture are there if we’re willing to look. And once we’ve seen them we have a responsibility to take action.
Is your company bad for your employees' health?
We’re increasingly seeing research that points to behaviours in the workplace that are responsible for stress, anxiety, overwhelm and worse. Looking the other way is not an option. Create a culture of caring, not scaring.