A passionate and rich discussion followed about the proactive steps that can be taken to ensure organizations build cultures with positive values and attributes, including:

• Invite the right people to meetings – diversity of people leads to diversity of ideas
• Solicit everyone’s opinion. During meetings, ask each person to share their thoughts, concerns, or ideas on the topic
• Give credit where it’s due
• Be a role model of the behavior you want to see in others.
• Adopt a “will not tolerate” strategy when it comes to disrespectful behavior in the workplace.
• Act quickly to alleviate behaviors that can lead to a culture of hyper-competitiveness or disrespect.

Bottom-line: Every person in an organization can affect culture, be it in a positive or negative manner. How you choose to conduct yourself is indicative of your personal character. No matter how much negativity or chaos is swirling around you, remain calm – and be a role model of compassion and respect towards others. Lisa Quast