It’s an outcome that is shaped daily by the choices, behaviours and the expectations that we set for ourselves and others.
Culture is all about your behaviours. It is what we do. It’s what’s expected and what’s accepted!
Yet too often we let culture just happen, rather than being something that we can actively design.
The reality? If you’re not intentionally building a robust, positive and resilient culture, then dysfunction is quietly designing one for you.
A thriving workplace culture isn’t about free coffee, ping-pong tables, WFH, or a catchy mission statement. It’s about behaviour. It’s the way we show up, the way we engage… and the way we respond to challenges.
Strong workplace cultures aren’t afraid of conflict - they embrace it! But they fight clean. People can challenge ideas without fear of retribution. Gratitude is as common as accountability. It’s where problem-solving trumps problem-finding!
So how do we build this? By giving people both the skills and the permission to call out toxicity, and to champion what’s right.
As Michael Henderson says,
And it starts with leadership setting the tone - embedding solution-focused thinking into everyday conversations, rewarding proactive behaviour, and ensuring that negativity isn’t just ignored, but is actively dismantled.
This also means moving beyond the notion that culture is simply HR’s responsibility. It’s about recognising that every single person contributes to the workplace climate, for better or worse.
Most importantly, great workplace culture is self-regulating. When built well, it becomes a system that corrects itself - where toxic behaviours can’t take root. Why? Because they’re swiftly and constructively challenged.
Here, people take proactive ownership of their environment, celebrating wins and navigating setbacks along with a mindset of growth and resilience.
So, don’t let your culture happen by default. Go ahead and design something extraordinary!
Wishing you a wonderful week designing the culture that you want, and need.
Richard Dore
Co-CEO - Director of Partnerships
Proteus Leadership
How To Lead Robust, Resilient, No-whinge, Solution-Focused Workplaces
Creating Positive Cultures is about giving people the skills and permission to destroy dysfunction, kill off negative influences and the space for all your positive people to shine and thrive.
Culture is all about your behaviours, it is what to do. So great leaders and workplaces don’t allow their culture to happen by default, they design it together by agreeing to operate above the line in a positive, professional and proactive way.
This allows for a psychological safe space to innovate, stay relevant, to fight clean to develop resilience, gratitude and a growth mindset, while giving staff permission to call people out on any toxic behaviours.
This results in a self-regulating culture where people celebrate achievements while creating great relationships, products and services.
Full-Day Face-to-face Workshop
Adelaide – 1 April
Melbourne – 3 April
Brisbane – 9 April
Topics:
