Here is a wee snippet of a piece I just wrote on how leaders build culture.

When I talk to managers about this topic of culture and management team health, I am often asked what managers ought to do if they do not respect their peers. Here is my answer:

Get over it. Unless you are the CEO or a Board Member, and unless your are in a position to select and terminate these other leaders, you should give up your feelings of ill will and resolve to be a great partner and coworker. Judgments are conversations. Change the conversations, change the reality. Most every manager has been selected for a reason and most are talented. Many people drive us crazy or rub us the wrong way with how they express themselves. So what? Be a great partner anyway! Nearly every manager I have met has been a dedicated hard worker with good intent. Quirks? Sure. Annoying habits? Almost always.

We need to be the change we seek. We want our employees to rise above personal differences to work together as a cohesive team. We cannot and should not expect this if we do not model excellence in this area. I believe that who we are together, as a management team, is almost more important than what we do as individual managers and leaders.

What do you think? Agree? Disagree?


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