In talking with fellow administrators at other schools, we agreed that one of the most difficult situations to manage as a school leader is when certain staff members spread negativity among their colleagues. (To be clear, this doesn’t include individuals who go straight to the source to share their opinions. That’s the appropriate way to share differing opinions.) When staff members spread negativity, they erode staff culture.
The negativity I’m referring to occurs when individuals speak poorly about the organization they work for and/or other staff members without taking any steps to improve the situation. From large initiatives to innocuous decisions, they would usually have a strong negative opinion on the matter and make their opinions known across the student body and faculty. Left unchecked, these individuals might acquire a core following of students and staff who got behind them and their strong negative viewpoints.
Influencing Staff Culture
Even if you directly address these individuals about their behavior, it can be hard to hold them accountable because most of their actions occur behind the scenes. It can be easy to feel like you don’t have any control over these situations.
In reality, we are in control of so much more than we might lead ourselves to believe. The only way that these negative individuals could have a significant impact on our campus is if the culture was there to allow it.
Staff Culture and Ice Cubes
You can think of the impact a negative employee has on a culture by comparing it to the impact that an ice cube can have on the temperature of different environments. A single ice cube has a significantly greater impact on the surrounding temperature when placed in a small glass of warm water than when placed in a bathtub full of warm water. A weak school culture is to the small glass of warm water that a negative staff member is to an ice cube.
The temperature of the entire glass of warm water is affected by the ice cube, just as the entire culture of a school shifts when the negative staff member makes his/her presence known. When the culture of a school isn’t strong enough to handle the staff member, the staff member’s negativity can have long lasting detrimental effects on those around them.
The Protection of Positivity
This staff member’s negative impact takes on a different form when the school has a strong and resilient positive culture. Just as an ice cube’s presence would barely be felt in a bathtub full of warm water, a negative staff member would be hard pressed to significantly alter a strong and positive staff culture.
Regardless how loud they spoke or to whom, their negativity wouldn’t spread too far and they would find it difficult to accrue a following of students or staff members. This is when the true power of a strong and positive staff culture comes to light. Leading others doesn’t mean constantly policing others’ interactions and behaviors. It means you being a role model and setting up a culture around the school where staff feel comfortable holding each other accountable.
Negative or unproductive comments wouldn’t be tolerated, not just by the leader, but by the entire staff. It doesn’t happen overnight, however, as it takes time, patience, and deliberate work to get to this point. Over time, your investments will pay off and you won’t have to do much to protect your staff from negative influences.
