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3 Characteristics of Healthy Work Environments

"Your biggest problem is that you were honest and that isn't what they [leadership] wanted to hear."

 Of all the things that my replacement told me, these are the words that made an indelible impression.

 For those of you that have been unceremoniously thrown under the bus, remember that it's partially your fault even if you think none of it is your fault. 

 But given the fact that there are a fleet of buses and more than enough drivers in corporate America to begin with, the odds really aren't in your favor. 

 If you aspire to work in an environment that is organizationally healthy, here are a few things to look for:

  1. Responsiveness- How long does it take a leader, peer, or co-worker to respond to an email? And when they do respond, does it move your project, solution to a problem, or management of an issue forward?  If you have to follow up an email with a phone call with a text and an IM, you are probably not in a very responsive environment. 
  2. Timeliness - How many times do meetings get rescheduled? How on-time are leaders to the meetings that they schedule? Are they habitually late because it's a perception of higher status?  More importantly, are people cognizant of the value of time by preparing for meetings rather than just rehashing what was said during a previous meeting? 
  3. Openness - I listened to a podcast with Jack Welch that talked about environments of honesty and candor. There is a lot to be said for leaders that foster environments where people can be honest and open. Problems occur when people start hoarding information and keeping things in because of the fleet of buses and bus drivers that could roll over them. People want their opinions to be heard. People want to feel like they had a say in a decision. 
By no means is this an exhaustive list. 

For a great book on how to improve organizational health, read The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni. Then evaluate what kind of environment you work in and decide whether it's the one that makes sense for you. 
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