Transforming Organizational Culture One Employee at a Time
Part 1: How to Be an Impactful Leader, No Matter Your Title
Imagine a workday where you feel energized, valued, and truly empowered. Unfortunately, this is not the reality for many employees today. According to Gallup, only 33% of employees feel engaged in their work, with the majority feeling disengaged due to poor work-life balance, lack of appreciation, and limited career growth opportunities. Employee dissatisfaction, burnout, poor communication, and high turnover are all critical challenges organizations face today. Yet, each of us has the power to shape our work environment, regardless of our job titles.
7 Ways to Lead with Impact
Whether you’re in the C-suite or just beginning your career, the power to influence your organization lies within you. Waiting for a title or promotion is a missed opportunity. Instead, you can take the initiative to be the leader your team needs, helping to transform your workplace’s culture, one interaction at a time. Here are seven strategies you can implement to develop as an impactful leader and create a positive ripple effect within your organization.
1. Fuel Yourself
Fueling yourself with nutrient-rich foods and hydration is essential for maintaining both physical and mental stamina. Start by asking yourself: What am I currently eating, and how does it make me feel? Are your meals balanced, energizing, and satisfying? Stable blood sugar is key for sustained energy, and you can achieve this by focusing on whole foods and minimizing processed snacks. Don’t forget hydration, either - every cell in your body relies on water to function optimally. A simple habit like drinking a glass of water upon waking and before meals can make a big difference. Good nutrition and hydration fuel not only your body but also your mind. With better energy, resilience, and focus, you’re empowered to make sound decisions, respond to stress effectively, and lead by example, inspiring those around you to value their own health and wellbeing.
Workplace Wellbeing Tip: Try starting a "Healthy Lunch Challenge" with colleagues! Focus on balanced meals, share easy recipes, and take a moment to eat away from your desk. If working virtually, post photos of your meals to stay motivated and connected. This challenge builds camaraderie and encourages mindful eating for better digestion and energy all day long.
2. Improve Your Lifestyle Behaviors
Sleep is essential for our brain to process everything we learn and recover from the day's demands. Aim for at least 7 hours of sleep each night. A simple trick: if you want 7 hours of quality sleep, plan to spend 8 hours in bed. And here’s a big one - no devices an hour before bed! The blue light emitted by screens interferes with your body’s natural sleep cycle, making it harder to unwind. Prioritize a relaxing pre-sleep routine to promote deeper rest and better recovery.
Whether it’s through a traditional workout, lifting weights, playing sports, or simply taking a walk, physical movement helps reset your energy and clear your mind. But here’s the catch: reduce the time spent watching or reading the news, watching TV, or scrolling on social media. These activities may seem like a form of escape, but they often leave us feeling worse, triggering worry, uncertainty, inadequacy, and jealousy. Instead, reallocate that time to exercise, connect with friends or family, or dive into a hobby or passion project.
What do you turn to when you’re stressed, anxious, or upset? Is it alcohol, food, shopping, or social media? These habits may offer immediate satisfaction or an escape, but they can do long-term damage by preventing you from fully addressing the underlying issues. Get curious about these patterns and explore healthier ways to cope.
Workplace Wellbeing Tip: Challenge each other to go to bed 15 minutes earlier, avoid electronics an hour before bed, or share your favorite wind-down routines to promote restful sleep.
3. Be a Continuous Learner
Leadership isn't just about what you do at work - it’s about your personal growth. By cultivating new skills and hobbies outside of work, you broaden your perspective and become more adaptable in the workplace. Whether it's reading books, listening to podcasts, or exploring a passion project, continuous learning helps you stay engaged, build confidence, and differentiate yourself professionally. It also opens up new opportunities and enables you to discover hidden talents or business ideas, such as a side hustle or passion project, that could benefit both your career and your personal life.
Select a few topics or hobbies that interest you and dive in. This process of learning not only enhances your identity outside of work but also builds skill sets that can advance your career and increase your self-assurance.
Workplace Wellbeing Tip: Share a book, podcast, or new skill that has had a positive impact on you with your team. Learning from one another fosters a culture of growth and encourages everyone to prioritize personal development. It’s also a great way to inspire colleagues to explore their own learning paths. Maybe someone on your team has a skillset that you’d like to develop - they could share valuable insights, too!
4. Manage Your Energy Intentionally
To manage your energy effectively, start by keeping an energy journal for a week or two. Write down the foods, people, things, activities, and environments that energize you, as well as those that drain you. Once you have a clear picture, review your schedule and find ways to balance your commitments, ensuring you maintain positive energy. By becoming aware of what fuels and depletes you, you can make intentional choices that help you stay energized throughout your day.
Workplace Wellbeing Tip: Use the insights from your energy journal to communicate with your manager and colleagues. By designing a work environment that supports your energy needs, you can increase your focus, engagement, and productivity. Prioritizing tasks that align with your energy will not only make you more effective but also help you thrive in your career and life.
5. Manage Your Mindset
Self-reflection is crucial for gaining awareness of the stories, beliefs, fears, and worries that shape your mindset. Remember, no one can make you feel anything - your thoughts are the driving force behind how you feel. If you're not satisfied with your emotions, it's time to shift your mindset. Start by writing everything down, reflecting on it, reframing your thoughts, and identifying what you can control. Then, take action to make meaningful changes.
Incorporating self-reflection into your daily routine, whether through journaling, walking, or mindfulness practices, helps you manage your mindset. By doing so, you take control of your thoughts and emotions, empowering yourself to cultivate a more positive and productive mindset in both your career and personal life.
Workplace Wellbeing Tip: Start meetings on a positive note by asking everyone to share something good—a win, a success, or a positive experience from their week. This sets the tone for a more productive, positive meeting and encourages everyone to focus on the good.
6. Build Your Resilience
Setbacks and challenges are a natural part of growth, especially when you're pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone. This is where true growth happens. Use these challenges as opportunities to learn, improve, and become stronger. Each setback is a step forward in building experience and confidence. Remember, you may see someone's success, but you don’t always know the full story behind it.
Workplace Wellbeing Tip: Encourage team members to share a recent failure and what they learned from it. This normalizes failure as part of the growth process and fosters a culture where taking risks and learning from mistakes is celebrated.
7. Set Boundaries
Setting boundaries is essential for your wellbeing, even if it’s become a buzzword. Think about how you feel when you say yes to something you really wanted to decline. You often experience dread, irritation, or even resentment. The key to setting boundaries is to start small and build confidence. Look back at your energy journal and identify where you need to set stronger boundaries. It could be defining when your workday starts and ends, not checking emails at night or on weekends, prioritizing self-care, or simply pausing before committing to something that doesn’t align with your current priorities. Whatever it is, stick to it and challenge any feelings of guilt. Ask yourself - what's the evidence behind these feelings? Is it discomfort from breaking old patterns, or is there a valid reason for the hesitation?
Workplace Wellbeing Tip: Normalize boundary-setting by encouraging your colleagues to avoid sending or checking emails after work hours or on weekends. Lead by example by communicating your boundaries clearly to your manager and team, without guilt.
Becoming a Catalyst for Positive Change
Even if you’re not in the C-suite, your daily actions, mindset, and energy set the tone for those around you. When you invest in your own wellbeing, others will notice the positive shift, creating a ripple effect. Organizational culture doesn’t transform overnight, it changes when employees at all levels choose to step up, lead by example, and inspire others.
Your journey toward impactful leadership starts with becoming the best version of yourself, which empowers you to bring out the best in everyone around you.
In the next article, we’ll dive into strategies for bringing out the best in your teams and colleagues to create lasting impact and drive cultural change. Stay tuned!
