I remember the first time I travelled for leadership training, joining a large group of leaders from across the organization in a hotel board room for 3 days of learning. I was less than a year into my first leadership role and my journey there had been a reluctant one. I had loved my previous position and was more than happy to be a mentor and role model, having no need or desire for the title or responsibility of leadership. I eventually took the leap and from that point on was committed to learning all I could to continually do my best to lead and support the team. The training curriculum was focused on leadership styles, being agile and responsive to the needs of individual employees, assessing their competencies, and supporting their development. I still have both participant guides and have leveraged much of it over the years. One takeaway, though, wasn’t from the curriculum and it didn’t come from the facilitator. I don’t remember what the topic of discussion was, but I remember the ballroom, where I was sitting, and where a fellow participant was sitting when she spoke up and said: What we permit, we promote.

That was a mic drop, brain exploding, AHA! moment for me and that phrase has stayed with me ever since.  It would hold me accountable when I didn’t want to address something because of the discomfort it created. It’s no magic wand and it certainly hasn’t made me perfect, but it’s made me more aware, reflective, and responsive. It’s an impossible statement to ignore. It tugs on your heart and punches you in the gut. To think of it in relation to a behaviour or situation and NOT do something is next to impossible. And I’ve learned that if I ever do in fact do nothing, the reason always connects to an element of safety, or lack thereof, a proven and experienced reason why I don’t have the gumption or support to pursue or embody it. This quickly becomes a personal conflict, one that requires deep thought and tough decisions. If I can’t resolve it, I need to move on because behaving contrary to my values isn’t an option.

What I recently realized is that this phrase captures the big, sometimes very complex topic of workplace culture into a short, simple sentence. Whether crafted specifically or it simply came to be, culture (in my opinion) is Atlas’ strength or the Achilles’ heel of an organization. A strong, positive culture, at some point, takes great intention to build and foster. And then it simply becomes the why and how people work together. It’s a balance of innate practices and intentional behaviours. It awes me that an organization full of skilled, good humans does not necessarily make for a strong or positive culture, how simple it can be to cultivate a great one, and how quickly a strong one can be dismantled. Culture is both fiercely strong and remarkably fragile. It isn’t what we say it is, it’s how we behave, how we treat people, and how we work together with everyone – across the entire organization, in all roles, and on all teams.

As a leader, if our practice isn’t to lead audibly and openly with a connection to culture, our perception of it and our contributions to it may not be in alignment with the experience of others. Use this phrase – What you permit, you promote – as a daily filter. What does it reveal about what you truly know of the current state of culture in your workplace? What is it truly, in comparison to your perception, experience, belief, and desire? Do you consciously and consistently cultivate it? Do you contribute to or against it? Do you walk the walk and talk the talk? You’ll start becoming aware of things you avoid or never noticed that because you permit, contradict your workplace culture. And in that, there’s a good chance they’re impacting your integrity and credibility. This phrase as a filter has a way of drawing us out of our own shadows, towards rather than away from the things we avoid, and into the light of awareness and responsibility. It’s not always easy, but it is always rewarding.

What we permit, we promote. When I read, say, or even think it, I simultaneously feel a surge of excitement and a pit in my stomach. It’s inspiring and overwhelming. Two opposing things that are steadfastly true about the responsibility of leadership.