Foster a healthy climate in the workplace

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Updated: March 24, 2012 11:23PM

I once made up the lyrics to a country and western song. It was entitled, “I’m Fonder of Fondue than I Am Fond of You.” Actually, it was pretty funny. Even now, some 20 years later, my wife and I laugh about it, especially when we are having fondue. I’ve shared it with others, and it creates a pleasant change of pace.

For a team to be successful over the long haul, laughter is a cultural imperative. Naturally, though, if left unchecked, it can lose its value or, worse yet, become a distinct and severe liability. How does one find a happy medium?

Creating a healthy environment

Here are a few things that a good leader can do to build a wholesome atmosphere:

Share your philosophy: Let your team know that you believe success is more easily achieved through a smile. It’s kinda corny ... and, then again, not.

Model: Set an example for your team. If you don’t exhibit the behavior you encourage, you won’t see it. Get around and encourage your team with smiles, pats on the back and other positives.

Boundaries: Remind the team that humor needs to be tasteful. This is about having a smile on one’s face and creating a circumstance for others to do so, as well. It’s not about telling jokes, certainly not ones that cross the threshold of propriety.

No Hiding: Remind them that it’s not a back door for saying something difficult. I have an aversion to someone telling me something he or she doesn’t like in the framework of teasing but, when asked about it, denies that a message was intended.

Truth: Let your yes be yes and your no be no. Matthew 5:37. Consistency is an essential component of leadership. Not being able to anticipate how the boss is going to react tends to paralyze those whom you hope can handle a problem before it reaches your desk.

The Eyes Have It: One of the ways that I assess an organization is whether it has an eyes-up or an eyes-down environment. Do people pass in the hall and avoid interaction with one another or do they take a couple of seconds to connect visually, share a smile and even exchange pleasantries?

There are probably others that you can add to this list, maybe some that you wish to either modify or even eliminate. That’s fine. There’s nothing sacrosanct about this list or any other one creates. This is not a one-size-fits-all situation. Each environment is unique.

Activating versus sustaining

It’s one thing to determine to establish a culture, quite another to actually do it. When one consults with change management gurus, most will tell you that it takes seven years to change an organization’s culture. I’m not in exact agreement with that, but I also know that you can’t achieve such an objective in a week or two. Therefore, set expectations accordingly.

What you begin will only have value if you sustain it. If you start and stop initiatives, your efforts will be looked upon as flavors-of-the-month. In other words, your team members will look to survive rather than thrive with what you are requesting or mandating. The latter attitude has the kiss of death written all over it.

Make certain that you solicit input from everyone, even if you don’t incorporate preferences across the board. If people feel that you are listening to them, they are much more likely to accept a different decision than if their input was ignored. That, perhaps more than anything else in this piece, is essential.

Once you have decided the course you wish to pursue, do frequent check-and-adjusts. The last thing you want is to think that things are moving smoothly towards the destination that you established, only to learn that there is little or no chance of that happening. Deal with molehills before they turn into mountains.

If there is anything that I can do to support or encourage you, I would be delighted to assist in your success. Please contact me at tberliner@judsonu.edu or at 847-628-1520.

Tom Berliner is a Montgomery resident and dean of the School of Leadership and Business at Judson University in Elgin.