Healthy Leadership = Healthy Culture

November 15, 2023

Written by Grin Events

Culture Is Built Top Down AND Bottom Up

No leader should underestimate the impact of good leadership on company culture. The reality is your company has a culture, whether you’re aware of it or not. This includes unstated rules of engagement — like holding meetings where everyone has their laptops open — rituals like taking new employees out to lunch on their first day, and accepted but harmful behaviors like gossiping. There is a wide spectrum from positive to negative.

In every organization, there are the people who create the culture — executive leadership and influential team members — and the people who accept the culture — usually everyone from middle management and below.

However, if you’re not intentional about shaping your culture, someone else will shape it for you. That rarely leads to better engagement, retention, or satisfaction.

Leading By Example

A good leader is intentional about shaping a culture that allows their team to thrive. A great one leads by setting a clear and visible example.

This doesn’t mean leaders have to be naturally outgoing, charismatic, and funny. In fact, with the right attitude, every leader can — and should — promote the culture they want their company to embrace. The key is recruiting the right culture ambassadors and following suit.

Here are some examples:

If you want meetings to start on time, show up promptly or even early.
If you want people to feel celebrated on their birthday, sign a card or send a Slack message.
If you want a culture of fun, show up to team building activities ready to dive in first.

We recently hosted events for two very different teams. In both cases, leadership led by example in a beautiful way.

Enthusiasm Is Contagious

One team was comprised of young 20- and 30-somethings in a technology field. Some might call this group a bunch of nerds in a successful-Silicon-Valley-kind-of-way. We hosted back-to-back events that involved being silly at times — no one looks graceful in a 3-legged race!

During the two days we spent with this lively gang, we discovered who the co-founders were. As it turns out, they were the most goofy, most energetic participants of all!

They may not have thought of it that way. However, by jumping in first and going fully immersive, they were leading by example. They simply wanted to have fun — and their team followed with enthusiasm.

With Age, Comes Wisdom, Not Boredom

The second team consisted of a more seasoned group of bioscience professionals. These were the senior leaders of a well-known, successful company. They brought us in to host a team building activity as part of a larger off-site retreat.

Honestly, we had our reservations about Senior Vice Presidents diving into party-style board games. However, from the moment the event started, these leaders were all in. We barely got our explanations out before each group dove into the activities with fervor.

As it turns out, “all in” is one of this company’s mantras. This group clearly understood that having fun creates real opportunities to build memories and bond with each other.

After all, a cohesive leadership team is an effective one.

Advice For Leaders Engaging in Team Building Activities

We learned some valuable lessons from observing these two groups.

Show up with an open mind. Embrace the spirit of humility, friendly competition, and — if it’s a Grin Events activity — fun!
Recruit culture ambassadors who can organize and rally your team around the core values you want them to embrace. You don’t have to shape culture alone!
Set an example of how you want your team to show up by being yourself. Don’t try to fake it. From meeting behavior to being willing to act silly, your presence sets the tone for your entire department or company.
Outline expectations and show gratitude by asking your team to show up with an open mind too, and thanking them for their hard work.
Incorporate fun into your corporate event mix. There seems to be a strong correlation between leaders who lead by example and those who make room for fun.

To summarize: be the fun you want to see in your culture. As Gandhi put it, be the change you want to see — and that applies here too. Show up authentically and embrace your role as culture creator.

Add Fun Into Your Leadership Mix

You don’t have to be funny yourself to infuse fun into your organization’s culture. Rely on experts like us who know how to use fun and games to create healthy, sustainable cultures.

To get started, contact us today: