Leadership's Quiet Sabotage: How Inaction Shapes the Workplace

What happens when leaders do nothing? In this episode, host Russel Lolacher exposes the silent damage caused by leadership inaction and its profound impact on workplace culture.

Though it is often said that work culture is the sum of words said and actions taken, it is actually missing the bigger picture. Inaction has as much impact on our workplace, with devastating results. 
Russel shares real world examples of leadership inaction looks and and the impacts it can have on the larger organization. 

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Transcript

Welcome back to Relationships At Work – Your guide to building workplace connections and avoiding leadership blindspots..  I’m your host Russel Lolacher 

I’m a communications and leadership nerd with a couple of decades of experience and a heap of curiosity on how we can make the workplace better. If you’re a leader trying to understand and improve your impact on work culture and the employee experience, you’re in the right place.

This mini-episode is a quick and valuable bit of information to shift your thinking for the week ahead. 

Inspired by our R@W Note Newsletter, I’m passing on to you… 

The Impact of Inaction

I’m reminded of this fact a lot when I see conversations online about what workplace cultures are. 

Many, including executives, seem to think that culture is the sum of the words said and actions taken at work. Sounds right. But it’s missing the bigger picture. 

One of the most powerful, communicative and impactful actions we can make as leaders on our work cultures is not doing anything.

It’s not just the words said and actions taken but the words not said and actions not taken. 

·       Not responding to an email.

·       Not addressing bad behaviour.

·       Not answering a question.

·       Not providing direction.

·       Not making ourselves available to our teams.

·       Not actively listening.

·       Not understanding the value of the work. 

These various types of inaction speak volumes to teams, whether we as leaders choose to understand it or not. Those inaction messages we’re saying, heard loud and clear, include: “we don't care, you're not important enough, we don't have time for you, we’re ok with bad leadership, you're not a priority, etc.”

This might come as a surprise to many leaders. Hell, a lot of the time, leaders aren't aware of these impacts. Why? Because we're often too busy, letting our calendars and reactive nature be our guide rather than the effort and space that allow for actual leadership. We’re off to the next meeting, the next urgent email, the next fire to put out, not understanding we are hurting our work culture. 
 So let’s look how inaction has real impacts on work culture and our work relationships:

1. Eroding Trust - when we as leaders fail to address problems or make decisions, it hurts our credibility. Trust is foundational to a healthy culture. And once it's compromised, staff question the effectiveness of that leader. If it happens enough, that opinion and skepticism can spread.

2. Decreasing Morale and Engagement - inaction on issues that affect employees directly, such as unresolved conflicts, lack of recognition, or poor working conditions, can hurt morale and engagement. Feeling concerns are ignored or minimized, forces staff to be less likely to invest in their work or the organization's success.

3. Encouraging Toxic Behaviors - one of those examples I gave was around not punishing bad behaviour, which can look like bullying, harassment, or discrimination. When employees see this, it feels like these behaviours are normalized or tolerated. And even rewarded. Inaction not only harms the victims but also signals to other employees that such behaviour is acceptable. This is how toxic workplace culture are formed, where respect and professionalism are undermined, making it difficult to attract or retain great staff.

4. Stifling Innovation and Growth - what if employees have new ideas but notice leaders don't listen to or act upon them? Or see that the organization is resistant to change due to leadership inaction. Why would employees offer innovative ideas in this environment? Answer: They wouldn't. And eventually, they'll go somewhere else to share them.

5. Creating Uncertainty and Confusion - during change or crisis, inaction is frightening to workplace culture. Many organizations felt that during the pandemic. It can create uncertainty and confusion for employees. They need leaders to lead, especially in situations that have few answers. Without clear direction or communication from leaders, employees won’t understand the organization's priorities, their roles, or how they should adapt to changes. So there’s anxiety, stress, and a lack of focus. Only further detracting from the organization's cohesion and ability to execute its strategy effectively. If they have one to begin with.

Action, even the wrong one, can sometimes still be better than no action at all. 

Actions made and decisions taken are signs of leadership, while inaction forces employees to fill in the blanks as to why. And it's usually not a good fill-in-the-blank.

I’m not saying action has to be taken for action sake. Sometimes the right move is not to do anything. But that’s when strong, compassionate and transparent communication comes in. Which is, in itself, an action. 

We can be the leaders our teams and workplace cultures need, and that comes with intention, effort and participation. 
 Otherwise, we're not actually leaders. We’re obstacles to a better workplace.