A common theme I hear when working with organizations or during keynote talks is that the culture feels a bit negative or even toxic, and teams are struggling to make meaningful changes.
Here’s the good news: creating a thriving team culture is absolutely doable. It just takes a little focus on the right areas. To begin, we need to assess our team in three important areas:
Attitudes
Are we energetic, optimistic, and collaborative? Or are we feeling more overwhelmed, chaotic, frustrated, or even burnt-out?
What’s “normal” for this team?
What are our typical behaviors, habits, and traditions? Are we running on strong, positive norms, or slipping into negative ones like frequent complaints, chaos, or missed deadlines?
What does the team believe?
Do people truly believe the organization has their back? Do they feel like change is possible? Do they believe their efforts make a real difference for the clients they serve?
Attitudes reflect how we feel now, norms define our daily behaviors, and beliefs are the deeply held truths that guide us. If any of these areas need attention, that’s where we start. It’s about creating awareness, sparking conversations about where we are and where we want to go, and pairing that with action and accountability.
A great way to introduce this is during 1x1s with your team.Share each category and ask for real examples that come to mind:
How would you describe the attitude of our team?
Are there any behaviors we could minimize (like complaining, replying all, or shutting down ideas)?
Do people feel like they’re truly making a difference?
Start small. Ease into these conversations over time. And most importantly—listen. The team’s perception might not fully match yours, and that’s okay. It’s all about getting the dialogue going and building from there.
Trust me, once you start the conversation, you might be surprised at what you learn!
Want to explore this topic further in a keynote, retreat, or summit? Reach out —I’d love to chat more!
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