17 • Tempus Fugit - Reflections on leadership and workplace culture

Time has passed since the last episode in season one of Life at the Sharp End - more than I’d intended to be honest.

I’m reminded of the more contemporary words of the great philosopher Freddie Mercury, when he told us that “Time waits for nobody.”

Life at the Sharp End set out to help people who want to be a part of safe, respectful and high-performing workplace cultures.

In this episode, as we start the second season of the podcast, I look back at some of the key insights from season one, with key lessons that leaders, HR professionals and those running a complaints management or Professional Standards Unit may want to think about.

In season one, we’ve learnt a thing or two about leadership, and what’s required to be an effective leader when it comes to changing a workplace culture.

We’ve also explored deep insights into the problems caused by incivility, bullying and harassment – the unpleasant and unkind behaviours that not only undermine workplace culture, but go much further into causing psychological and physical harm for people who’ve become targets.

So why, after all this time and attention, do we still have persistent problems in creating respectful workplace cultures, with instances of unethical leaders protecting bullies and silencing people who have the courage to stand up (as they’re asked to do) ?

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“You don't need me to tell you
What's gone wrong
You know what's going on
But it seems to me we've not cared enough
Or confided in each other at all
It seems that we've all got our backs
Against the wall.”

Freddie Mercury, "Time waits for nobody"

The human impacts of a flawed complaint process

Right at the start of the podcast in episodes 2 and 3, Jane’s story set the context for so much of what is to follow. As an experienced HR manager who was, herself, bullied out of her organisation, Jane’s story describes the physical and psychological health consequences of unfairness in a complaint process.

Jane’s story is a moving one that highlighted for me, the whole of spectrum of issues that we still see happening. Not least of which is the principal fact that “Jane” is not her real name.

It didn’t matter that most of Jane’s complaints were upheld by an independent investigation. The organisation used legal tactics she describes as “inhumane” and you’ll hear Jane’s important advice to leaders and HR practitioners who might be involved in managing complaints processes in this episode.

The issues go beyond management bullet points

Management and leaders love bullet point summaries, but the issues uncovered by the podcast require us to go deeper than that. Making real change means going beyond the bullet points, and that’s what forthcoming episodes will be all about.

We’ll still talk to more inspirational people about their expertise, but alongside the podcast episodes, you’ll find comments, observations and in-depth analysis in my Beyond the Bullet Points Substack.

That’s where I’ll be doing exactly what it says on the tin, and exploring the practical implications of those one-liners so loved by those who ask for management summaries.

Season one’s most popular episode - Episode six, with Associate Professor Dorothy Suskind talking about the predictable cycle of workplace bullying is an example of insights that help everyone involved — from people affected, to HR practitioners and leaders alike — to understand the situations they find themselves in.

We heard how conscientious, ethical, curious people who just want to get on and do a good job of delivery are often the people targeted by workplace bullies. Ideal employees!

So how is it that organisational cultures which speak of psychological safety are unable to protect people like this from being bullied?

Challenging organisational cultures is frowned upon

We heard how some organisational cultures - notably in the emergency services sector - have cultures that make it difficult for people to stand up when they’ve experienced unacceptable behaviour.

We explored this theme in episode 5 with researcher Hollie Trollen talking about both her experiences of sexual harassment in UK policing and her research work to study the so-called “Blue wall of silence.”

Hollie will be back in a future episode this season to tell us more about what we can all learn from her research findings.

These problems were illustrated in episode 13 when Charlotte Hails, a former senior police officer, shared her own experiences of policing culture.

“Being someone who’s outspoken, who challenges things, is frowned upon”

Charlotte Hails, Episode 13

These problems don't arise out of nowhere in poor cultures, and in episode 12, Dr Jen Fraser - author of “The Bullied Brain” - highlighted how unethical leaders and HR seek to punish the victim for doing what they’re told, and having the courage to stand up and be counted.

The qualities of effective leaders

A consistent theme that came through from a variety of guests was about the authority of a leader coming from the way they treat people.

In episode 10, Former Fire Captain and Firefighter Union Executive, Steve Farina pointed out that a leader with positional authority who does not respect people, does not actually command the respect needed for effective leadership.

In Charlotte’s conversation, we heard how people who’ve experienced unacceptable behaviour can lead from the front, showing the way with humanity and care for others in their own leadership style.

“Time is the greatest gift at leader can give to their people”

Charlotte Hails, Episode 13.

Changing culture and behaviour is not just for HR

Changing culture is about more than bland statements, as the analysis of corporate mission, vision and values during the excellent comedy show by the Australian duo, “Wankernomics” demonstrates.

Their show highlights with precision and humour, that the vast majority of corporate values actually state things that just define “being a decent human being.” It’s striking that tackling workplace incivility, bullying and harassment needs to start by telling grown adults the basics of how to be a decent human being – yet here we are.

Cultural change is not just down to HR alone, and we’ve heard how it’s something that comes from the way everyone interacts in a workplace.

In episode 11, Canadian Police Officer and mental health advocate Mark Bouchard challenges listeners to think about what they’re going to do when faced with an inappropriate colleague.

This was expanded on in episode 14 with Graham Goulden, during our in-depth analysis of the impacts of bystander behaviour.

“That’s the effect we have when we don’t intervene – we traumatise victims. But we also signal to other bystanders that everything's okay.”

Graham Goulden, Episode 14

What's coming in future episodes

To those listening who’ve contacted me to say how helpful or interesting you’ve found the podcast, thank you.

If you’ve said privately that you can’t speak in public, know that you are heard and that there are many more in similar situations to you. Workplace bullies use isolation and exclusion as their tactics, but you are not alone.

There will be more pragmatic perspectives to come to help you – the listener – navigate your way through whatever workplace cultural challenges you’ve found yourself in.

You’re living through the age of instant gratification, the instagram reel, the tiktok soundbite, the clickbait post and the demands from leaders for an instant answers on a slide in five snappy bullet points.

That time has fled and years on the same behaviour patterns are still not being seen, means there is more to do to understand and tackle the people who perpetuate this behaviour in the workplace.

Because the great philosopher of the day, Freddie Mercury, had it right when he said:

“We all must plan our hopes together, or we’ll have no more future at all. Time waits for nobody.”

Chapter markers

Links

• Read more and subscribe to the Beyond the bullet points Substack
• Listen to Freddie Mercury’s “Time waits for no-one” on Spotify.