This last month has seen us all baffled by the antics of what on earth was going on in Number 10 during lockdown. Now, fans of plans, I will shy away from turning this blog political, but I think we can all agree that there has been some hypocritical behaviour afoot. We have probably all also been wondering where the responsibility sits with a certain tennis player being deported from Australia. 

Whatever side of the fence you sit on with both of these subjects, there is one thing that we are all screaming about… taking responsibility.

What can we learn from No. 10?

For me the key here to working well is taking responsibility for ones actions. We can translate this into our own workspaces in one obvious way… don’t expect others to do something that you wouldn’t do yourself. 

As a business leader you set the tone of the business, and while you can help to shape the culture by setting the behaviours you expect to see from your workforce, it’s your own actions that will be key to the success of this. 

Toxic cultures don’t just bubble up overnight, they take time, they fester and eventually flood the organisation and it is at this point that it can be hard to claw back any reputation that may have been eroded. 

Signs to look out for

When you’re setting the behaviour expectations of the business, make sure that it is something that you will adhere to yourself. The ‘do as I say but not as I do’ is a sure fire way to have your organisation descend into anarchy. You’ll find even the most conscientious of employee will start to question the integrity of the business and wonder why they need to adhere to your expectations. 

Here’s an example (that doesn’t involve a briefcase full of booze)…

If your organisation has decided to set out a wellbeing charter and one of your points on there is to not email colleagues outside of working hours and you start to do this, then you’ll find this behaviour will filter down into the rest of the organisation. 

This is just one area that could be a slippery slope back to toxic work behaviours and could cost the mental wellbeing of your workforce and create a negative attitude. You need to keep your promises in order to maintain yours, and your organisation’s reputation. 

Be mindful and visible

Always be mindful – what values/behaviours/charters have we set out for our employees, and how can I be living these myself? Perhaps, most importantly, how can I make sure that I am demonstrating this to my workforce? If you keep these questions in mind, and find ways to answer them that suit your organisation, then you can make sure you are being the positive difference to working well.