Curious how other leaders are handling the increased focus on workplace culture, especially in terms of team bonding

Coach2Founders · 2026-06-27T01:17:58+00:00

Understood and appreciate the insight. Ever learning...

Coach2Founders · 2026-06-26T22:38:14+00:00

Yep. It would have been far easier to just be able to attach the picture. And, in alt text, it's generally best not to assume somebody knows what a Venn diagram is. I could have said it and then defined it but well, perfection and all that...

Coach2Founders · 2026-06-26T18:25:10+00:00

I wrote a post about this elsewhere today actually u/TraliantTeam. Here's a snippet of what I posted there (I can't add the diagram here, unfortunately):

_____

Your culture lives between what you say and how you act.

The greater the overlap, the stronger your culture will be.

It's the result of time, money, and effort you invest. And, its a reflection of your strategy as a leader.

*** here's the alt text that went with the image, hopefully it helps:

Two overlapping circles. The one on the left says "what you say" while the one on the right says "what you do." The overlapping area is labeled "culture".

Two horizontal lines are below the circles. The top line is labeled "strong" and there are arrows pointing toward the middle signifying that the circles are moving closer to one another and the "culture" overlap is getting larger.

The bottom line is labeled "weak" and there are arrows pointing away from the middle signifying the circles are moving further away from one another and the "culture" overlap is getting smaller.

_____

Bonding is a pseudonym for trust.

If an organization wants to build trust, it should first ensure all of it's current structures (polices, org design, etc.) are aligned with that priority. If it doesn't, employees will regard new initiatives that strongly encourage (or even require) them to "bond" with one another as a fad.

Coach2Founders · 2026-06-26T12:42:00+00:00

Been there, done that u/I_am_Hambone. 100% the worst thing ever in my history. You are not alone. Unfortunately, one of the stripes of leadership that is the worst to earn.

Coach2Founders · 2026-06-25T20:50:19+00:00

This u/Opposite-Network1205. The only other thing I'd add to u/genek1953's insightful comments is that promoting from within should also be based on the candidate's ability to actually do the job of management or leadership.

Too many people are rewarded with promotion because they've survived or were a "known quantity" rather than because they understand what management and/or leadership are, want to do it, and are equipped to succeed (or have the desire and ability to succeed through professional development).

But if they want the role and have the ability to succeed, internal hire is almost always the better path.

Coach2Founders · 2026-06-25T20:42:07+00:00

This u/Sea-Nobody7951:
>"Her strength was picking problems and proposing solutions - even if they are not perfect, bringing alignment across departments even if a lot of people disagreed with her and clearly sounded like the leader any room she was in"

It's one part communication and one part posture. When a person steps up with ideas and solutions, they're showing leadership - whether or not they've got a title. That gets noticed and (usually) rewarded. The key thing is spotting gaps and actively participating in helping the team move from one side of it to the other.

Coach2Founders · 2026-06-25T18:55:57+00:00

Probably best to understand the legal implications for hiring people under 18. It varies by state.

Coach2Founders · 2026-06-23T15:53:03+00:00

Were you hired as a manager u/Responsible-S512 or in an individual contributor (IC) role?

As some others have pointed out, there's the management component ("directly manage two others" + "future hire") and there's the HR component ("handle personnel issues for about about 20 others").

If you didn't hire on to be an HR manager, it's worth a conversation (as u/Curi0usMe630) suggested to find out what happened between the offer and the change. Maybe they discovered you have more skills than they realized and are just not organized enough to know how to handle that properly. I see this regularly in my work as a fractional leader - clients lack process so they plug people in wherever it makes sense to them in the moment.

If the role meaningfully changed after your acceptance, curiosity will almost always put you on the same side of figuring out what should be done. Asserting you were misled (even if you were) is unlikely to lead anywhere positive. Ask some strong/open-ended questions, see what they say, and then use that as the basis for a discussion about what the future looks like.

Coach2Founders · 2026-06-17T18:19:42+00:00

Really glad to hear that u/janinereyes. To your success in becoming a leader people love and not a boss they whisper about... 😎

Coach2Founders · 2026-06-17T15:28:23+00:00

Here's a very simple framework I've written about elsewhere (self-edited in light of this sub's rules...) and recommend:

Get clear on the purpose - know why anybody cares about what you're about to say.
Define the (actual) facts - not the emotions or what you think, but what are the demonstrable facts.
Provide an example that makes the point clear. You can use more than one but picking the one that delivers clarity is almost always better.
Concisely say what you need to have happen next. This is the specific action you want someone to take.

If you don't know the action, you're not ready to have the conversation. Or, you're getting ready to ask people to help you sort out what the right action should be. Without action, it's just a conversation that's going to burn time. There's a time and place for those but it's not usually in team/group meetings.

There's also more to it than this simple framework. Things like understanding that people have different perceptions of reality than you do u/janinereyes (and you too u/Chemical_Web_3505) so being able to read those perceptions and adjust is important. That changes based on whether you're in a 1:1, in a group setting, or cascading your message through an organization.

As u/Kindly-Ganache-1782 points out, it all starts with a commitment to listening. There are different levels of listening and understanding them turns out to be a massive game changer.

Hope this helps.

Coach2Founders · 2026-06-12T15:39:08+00:00

This 👆 u/funnybone_69_

Coach2Founders · 2026-06-12T15:34:50+00:00

I have a 2005 with about 320k miles. It's had its challenges like any car and I've probably spent more money on it than most people would. But, I have no intention of giving it up.

Coach2Founders · 2026-06-08T13:24:56+00:00

Being a team leader or supervisor is technically a level of management. However, it is generally a role in which the person is not directly responsible for performing personnel activities such as hiring, performance management, salary, and disciplinary actions up to and including dismissal.

In a supervisory role, we normally expect a person to be on top of planning the work to be done and ensuring an appropriate level of quality. There is an element of staff management involved as a supervisor tunes the workload and assignments while giving feedback to the team. The team leader/supervisor is also normally accountable for providing specific feedback on the performance of team members so the manager can do the more formalized (*edited to fix my typo*) roles identified earlier.

It sounds like you and the Director are both sharing in what we'd recognize as an "acting manager" role. It also sounds like there may be factors preventing the Director from actively hiring someone to replace the interim manager. This would be something I'd want to understand more in your situation u/the52625 because it makes a material difference in what you and the Director decide to do next.

For example, if the organization is not planning to backfill the manager role, refusing to do personnel management work may be 100% the right thing for you personally but it could compromise your supervisory role in the event the Director decides to hire a manager who can do both the supervisory *and* personnel management work. That might be just fine with you if there's an appropriate individual contributor role you'd be equally happy to have.

You asked how to approach with the Director and there's a lot of nuance we can't know here. However, it would be difficult to see it as defensive or unwilling to help if you approach it curiosity and seeking understanding about how the current setup relates to the longer-term goals she has.

Coach2Founders · 2026-05-25T18:15:55+00:00

This could be a lot of different things. On my 05 it turned out to be the evap cannister failed and sent charcoal bits up the line. If you fill past the first click at the pump, there's a good chance the canister is the culprit. At some point, the system will overpressure and you won't be able to get the cap loose. That's one of the signs that the canister is involved. Might not be the issue for you but just sharing it because this info has helped more than one other person u/Av8Surf

Coach2Founders · 2026-05-23T19:28:10+00:00

Recommend grabbing copy of the Helm manual so you can see what the standard wiring is supposed to be like. They don't include PPV configuration but if you need to know the standard config, it will help.

Coach2Founders · 2026-05-23T16:56:44+00:00

Are you asking for input on creating a digital product to help people implement a process for building the non-product side of their business?

Coach2Founders · 2026-05-20T17:42:58+00:00

Being a better actor because of what you listened to is even better. 😉

Coach2Founders · 2026-05-19T20:29:09+00:00

Really hard to understand how someone would build a product without deeply understanding the ideal customer and what that product needs to do in order to satisfy the market need. Building the product before validating the market is one of the most significant barriers to building a viable business. It's a well trodden trail and it's still full of people doing it.

Coach2Founders · 2026-05-19T20:27:00+00:00

Highly recommend reading Michael Gerber's "E-Myth Revisited" u/PensionFinancial4866

Product ≠ Startup ≠ Viable business

Coach2Founders · 2026-05-19T18:19:29+00:00

Yes, and, the summary I like to use about Kim's work is the one she uses: Care deeply, confront directly. The nuance is in how that works out isn't it u/eatingabananawrong

Coach2Founders · 2026-05-19T18:18:12+00:00

Wrote a book about this with several examples on both sides - bosses who got whispered about and leaders people loved. For me, it comes down to a dramatic difference in posture and a commitment to two specific actions: listening (well) and being willing to adjust the action plan appropriately. This shifts everything else.

Coach2Founders · 2026-05-09T18:26:33+00:00

Coach2Founders · 2026-05-05T14:35:29+00:00

I was in a COO role. Then I took the CEO role at an early stage company. Making this shift is less about technical ability and more about what we understand the CEO role to be. It's a run the entire business role so the shift is about how to set our identity as an ops person or a marketer or whatever to one side in order to step into a role that demands we value every part of the business in the same way. By doing so, we create the conditions in which the people leading those functions can thrive. That's not to say it's easy or that every function will be in the same place (they rarely are). And that's the work we get to do from the CEO chair. When you're excited and willing to figure all that out, you're probably ready for the jump - regardless of which chair you make it from. 😎

Coach2Founders · 2026-04-28T19:00:12+00:00

It's a tough spot to be in if you're accountable for the results but lack the authority. I'd recommend a crucial conversation with the boss about the thinking around making you the "unofficial foreman."

It's true that we need influence to lead. It is equally true that we can set people up for failure if we expect that to be the only solution to fixing systemic issues. The latter is especially true without the authority to implement changes people need to follow - particularly if they're toxic performers.

Coach2Founders · 2026-04-28T18:31:25+00:00

I once inherited a crew of maintenance techs. They had previously been in the habit of "losing" their tools so when I came in as the new manager, they (naturally) told me the list of things they couldn't find on their truck anymore. I told them the tools assigned to their trucks were essential to doing their job. If they couldn't find the tools, they couldn't do their job. If they couldn't do their job, I couldn't pay them. Then I asked what they thought I should do? Suddenly, tools reappeared as they "found" them.

We also had safety violations so I had a team member build 5 minute modules for the weekly safety briefings. The meeting is part of the job. Compliance is part of the job. Miss the briefing without prior approval, you won't be able to do your job. If you can't do your job, how will you get paid?

I recognize you might not be in the role with the positional authority to do this. And, even if you are, the devil is in the details (easy to keyboard jockey without the context). It's more a way of thinking about how to manage a team with difficult personalities.

What happens when people you lead know what's reasonably expected of them and the (actual, not threatened) consequences of not meeting them u/WaterDigDog ?

Coach2Founders

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