By: LeadersWay
In business, just like in life, there are countless factors we cannot control. Economic shifts, market trends, and customer behavior often feel like unpredictable storms. But here’s the good news: we control the climate in which we work, and that climate directly impacts energy, engagement, and outcomes.
One of the most important traits of elite performers and successful businesses is their ability to let go of things they can’t control and instead focus on what they can. They know that wasting energy on uncontrollable factors is a recipe for frustration, while putting time and resources into what they can change will deliver results. In the same way, leaders must understand that the climate they create in their businesses is critical. That climate controls energy, energy drives engagement, and engagement determines outcomes.
Focus on Leading Factors, Not Trailing Results
The success of any business isn’t just about chasing results; it’s about focusing on the leading factors that influence those results. If you cultivate the right environment—an environment that nurtures creativity, collaboration, and positive energy—then success will naturally follow. But to create that kind of climate, we first need to identify the enemies that threaten it.
In this series of articles, we’ll discuss three key enemies of climate that can sabotage your efforts before they even begin. If you want to create a thriving business, you need to address these issues head-on. They are broad topics, but each plays a crucial role in shaping the climate of your business.
1. Bad Leadership
At Leaders Way, we’re passionate about helping people become better leaders because, simply put, bad leadership destroys climate. You can’t be a bad human and a good leader; the two don’t mix. And yet, bad leadership is not an exception—it’s far more common than we’d like to admit.
The problem often stems from the fact that people are promoted based on their performance rather than their ability to lead others. This leads to environments where the leader is not focused on bringing out the best in their team, but instead focuses on individual results or exerting control. A bad leader can walk into a room and say the wrong thing, instantly draining the energy from the people around them. Leadership that relies on fear and intimidation may seem effective in the short term, but it kills engagement and creativity.
Think of leadership like tending to a tree. The tree already has the DNA to grow tall and strong. Your job as a leader isn’t to impose that growth—it’s to create the right conditions for it to flourish. When bad leadership creates a toxic climate, that potential gets stifled.
2. Toxic People
The second enemy of climate is toxic people. Even a single toxic person can destroy the energy of an entire team. We’ve all experienced it: someone constantly gossiping, complaining, or spreading negativity, and before long, the entire group’s morale plummets.
One of the biggest mistakes leaders make is keeping toxic employees because of their competence. It’s easy to justify keeping a high-performing individual even when their behavior is harmful to the team, but that’s a shortsighted decision. I recall a story from a business owner in the service industry who struggled for two years to fire a negative but highly skilled employee. When he finally let him go, the team’s performance improved by 12% within just a few months. Toxicity, no matter the source, is an enemy to climate, and by extension, to growth.
3. Lack of Systems, Structure, and Communication
The third enemy of a positive climate is the lack of structure. When there’s confusion, poor communication, or a lack of clarity, it creates anxiety and stress within the team. And in today’s fast-paced, unpredictable world, stress and anxiety are the enemies of creativity and innovation.
We need our teams to be adaptable, strategic, and innovative, especially in challenging environments. But when employees are bogged down by unclear expectations or chaotic processes, their ability to focus and think creatively diminishes. By providing clear systems and communication, you free up your team to focus on what really matters—solving problems and generating new ideas.
Cultivating a Positive Climate
The climate of your business controls everything—from the energy of your team to the outcomes you achieve. By addressing these three enemies—bad leadership, toxic people, and lack of structure—you can create an environment where your team’s energy flows freely, engagement soars, and success becomes inevitable.
As we continue this series, we’ll dive deeper into each of these topics and provide specific tools you can use to improve the climate in your business. Until then, remember: we control the climate, and with the right climate, everything has the potential to grow.
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