Culture in the workplace

Yesterday I read a blog that discussed culture in the work place, specifically schools. It discussed studies findings that noted that teachers' focus lie in the culture of the work place. Where teachers left their positions, not because of pay rates, but more so because of the work place culture. So what is culture really? Culture in the work place is the beliefs, the thought processes, the attitudes of the employees. It includes the ideologies- ethics/ policies and principles, the foundation of belief, of the organization. I agree, partially...but I believe in the quote, "People don't quit their jobs, they quit their bosses." A Gallup poll taken noted that 50% of people who quit their jobs did so because of their boss and not the position itself. What all does this tell us? It tells us that relationships mean everything, all of the time.

An effective leader will give you the freedom to grow, mentor you to be better at what you do, and make your daily work enjoyable. An ineffective leader, by contrast, can hold you back professionally, developmentally, and make you unhappy. Let's break it down even further. Here's an example:

You are given a new task. The effective leader will communicate the expectations, provide strategies and support to accomplish the task. An ineffective leader will assign the task and then demand it is done by a due date. There would be no "in between" communication. Just "Here do this" and then "Where is it?"

Alison McMahon, an HR specialist and the CEO of TwoFold, says the biggest reason employees jump ship is that they're tired of working for lousy bosses. By and large, she says, people are willing to put up with certain negatives as long as they enjoy who they're working for. When that's just not the case, there's no reason to stick around:

"Nine times out of ten, when an employee says they're leaving for more money, it's simply not true. It's just too uncomfortable to tell the truth."

As a leader you should practice genuinely getting to know your staff and care about them. You must inspire your team. You are not a leader if no one is following you.

So remember, picking the right leader, boss, supervisor is far more important than picking the right job location or even position.