Dr. Christine Porath: Workplace Incivility Requires A Leadership Fix

HOW DOES A LEADER TAKE THEIR TEAM FROM GOOD TO GREAT?

Georgetown University business school professor, Christine Porath says we won’t make that leap until we address the incivility that’s taken over our workplaces.

In preparing for her recent TED Talk that’s had nearly one million views so far, Dr. Porath asked 20,000 employees around the world what they most wanted from their leaders today. The number one answer was “respect.”

A lack of civility has come to characterize most of our experiences at work – so much so that we now just assume it comes with the territory. But the reason we must now confront incivility is because it’s proven to do great harm to people not to mention organization’s bottom lines.

Dr. Porath’s research shows that incivility is highly contagious. It makes people less motivated, instantaneously less engaged – and deeply resentful. And 12% of workers who feel slighted or disrespected in their jobs end up quitting.

In this inspiring conversation, we explore the reasons why curt, rude and unkind behavior has become so prevalent in business today, and discuss the surprisingly simple ways managers and companies can restore a more humane culture.

If there’s one key take-away from this podcast episode, it’s that civility lifts people.  Leaders can therefore achieve so much more by ensuring their teams’ culture delivers what employees around the world today are clamoring for: a highly respectful place in which to work.

Please listen in!

By Mark C. Crowley

Mark C. Crowley is the author of Lead From The Heart: Transformational Leadership For The 21st Century which has been taught in 11 American universities. He is a global speaker, leadership consultant and thought leader on the topics of workplace culture and employee engagement.