Colin D. Ellis's Blog, page 15

Truth without the thorns

Direct doesn't mean ‘rude’.

When we talk about ‘saying how it is’ we're not looking for bluntness that wounds others in the team. We're seeking clarity that prompts action.

The most effective truths aren't delivered with sharp edges. They don't undermine psychological safety or diminish someone's humanity.

What they do require is the courage to lose the corporate jargon, the spin, the comfortable ambiguity that lets everyone interpret your words however they wish.

The irony of this is that when we communicate with genuine directness — paired with respect for the listener(s) — teams actually feel safer. Because now they know where they stand. Now they understand what's expected. Now they can trust that what's said is what's meant.

In a world drowning in carefully crafted messaging, the simple truth stands out.

Just make sure it stands for something worth hearing.

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Laughter

This paraphrased quote is from Mark Twain. 

If you have ever read ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer’ or ‘The Innocents Abroad’ you’ll know that Twain used humour extensively in his writing to challenge deeply entrenched societal problems like racism, religious hypocrisy and political corruption. 

For him, laughter wasn't merely entertainment, it was a revolutionary force that could accomplish what direct confrontation often couldn't.

And it’s a critically underutilised tool in workplace cultures around the world.

This perspective aligns with organisational psychology research suggesting that appropriate humour in workplaces can break down hierarchical barriers, facilitate honest communication, and create psychological safety, which are all essential components of high-performing cultures.

And that’s just the organisational benefit. There are personal benefits too:

Cardiovascular Health

Stress Reduction

Mood Enhancement

Cognitive Function

Conflict Resolution

Job Satisfaction

This last point is a key reason why humour — and more generally creating moments where laughter can naturally occur — is something that I continue to build into my work. I subscribe to the mantra that if people are laughing, then they are learning. It results in a better experience for all involved.

That’s not to say that your work is a joke (it’s important to be serious and focused too), or that it should be a barrel of laughs every day (just the odd moment would be fine) or that laughter should be forced through a never-ending series of Dad jokes or puns. 

Self and social awareness is also required to ensure that laughter contributes to safety and doesn’t undermine it. We’ve all read stories in the media about senior leaders delivering off-colour (note: this is corporate/media spin for ‘offensive’) comments at the expense of individuals.

However, creating opportunities for people to talk about things other than the tasks they have to complete, the hurdles they have to jump over to get their job done or the priorities they have to juggle in order to feel like they are making a contribution, will always be time well spent.

These are the moments where laughter will permeate and improve the days of those that were part of a moment in time where we shared the one thing that we all love to do: laugh.

Ok, just one joke then… from the brilliant Tim Vine:

So I said to the gym instructor: 'Can you teach me to do the splits?' He said: 'How flexible are you?' I said: I can't make Tuesdays.'

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Facts matter

Facts are the foundation of effective workplace culture. They cut through opinions, biases, and assumptions that derail teams. When leaders embrace facts, they make decisions based on reality, not perception. This builds trust, enhances credibility and ultimately drives improved performance across the board. Facts aren't just important, they have the potential to be transformative.

When fiction replaces facts in workplace culture, the consequences are profound and far-reaching. Trust erodes rapidly as decisions based on falsehoods inevitably lead to disconnection, rancour and failure. Teams become fragmented, with some embracing convenient narratives linked to the fiction (often to curry favour with senior business leaders) whilst others cling to reality in the hope that common sense will prevail. 

This division creates a cultural chasm that's difficult to bridge. Performance suffers dramatically as resources are misdirected towards solving imaginary problems rather than addressing genuine challenges. Strategic decisions built on fiction lead organisations down costly blind alleys and have the potential to generate toxicity and cause irreparable harm to the organisation.

The sanctity of facts isn't maintained through rigid policing but through cultural norms from courageous people that celebrate evidence over opinion, substance over spin, and reality over convenient narratives or ego. Organisations that honour this principle create an environment where teams can flourish and ultimately build sustainable success on the bedrock of a shared truth.

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Emotionally excellent

In today's high-pressure working environments, being technically great at what you do is merely the entry ticket. Technical brilliance alone won't deliver exceptional teamwork. The real game-changer is emotional excellence. 

When teammates take the time to build empathy for each other and learn how to manage their emotions, it builds safety and trust and becomes the foundation for all future success. 

Teams with high emotional excellence share knowledge freely, embrace diverse thinking, and navigate failure constructively. Your team's technical ceiling isn't determined by individual capabilities, but by how effectively emotions are managed to amplify collective success.

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Effective communication

Last week I wrote about effective communication being a learned skill that anyone can master. It centres around two key aspects:

How can I make the message clear enough to be understood immediately (or to prompt further discussion or debate)?

How does the person receiving the message prefer to receive information?

For communication to be effective you can’t have one without the other. You can write the clearest email that has ever been written, however, if the person receiving the message prefers face-to-face communication rather than written, then it will be wasted time.

Conversely, you can spend time building a professional relationship with someone or ask for their communication preferences, but if the message isn’t clear then it will merely undermine the work that you’ve done.

Effective communication requires time and effort, but once mastered it is a skill for life.

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Subcultures the catalyst for change

 

Subcultures play an important role in shaping organisational culture. Managers have the agency to create their own team cultures without needing permission, but they don't always have the skills to foster a sense of belonging among employees. In this episode I explore how subcultures can drive culture change and enhance overall performance and the crucial skills development for managers that will make it possible.

Takeaways from the episode include:

Subcultures can significantly impact overall engagement scores.

Effective management of subcultures leads to improved collaboration.

Organisations must educate managers on building subcultures.

Clear boundaries are necessary to prevent cult-like subcultures.

Successful teams focus on values and community, not just results.

Learning from successful models can guide culture change.

Performance management is key to nurturing effective subcultures.

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Won’t AI just make employees lazy?

This was a question that a business leader asked me last week and it reflects a nuanced reality. 

Like most technological advances, AI's impact depends largely on how we implement and govern it. And — if we’re being honest — we don’t have a great track record of doing that well in our workplaces, which gives rise to the negative viewpoint (despite, I might say, organisations being in a rush to implement AI tools!).

Yet, when deployed thoughtfully, technology (in this case, AI) has the potential to eliminate mundane tasks, freeing employees to focus on complex problem-solving and creative work that requires uniquely human capabilities. Historical parallels suggest technologies that augment human potential typically elevate work rather than diminish it.

However, legitimate concerns exist about AI not only making swathes of roles redundant, but also becoming a thinking shortcut, which is an issue in the education system right now.

When employees outsource cognitive heavy lifting without critical evaluation, skills can atrophy, and there’s a danger that work quality, over the long-term will suffer. The ‘copy and paste’ mentality could indeed foster intellectual laziness and requires discipline from employees not to just ‘skip to the end’.

The dichotomy here is that the more employees rely on AI to do their work, the more replaceable they will become as AI will simply ‘machine learn’ their knowledge and voice.

The critical factor is whether an employee's contribution sits primarily in the realm of what AI can readily replicate. Knowledge workers who simply serve as intermediaries between AI tools and final outputs are at higher risk than those who apply uniquely human capabilities that AI cannot replicate.

The most effective workplace cultures will establish clear boundaries — distinguishing between tasks where AI should accelerate productivity and those requiring critical thinking and deep human engagement.

Rather than making employees universally lazy or universally enhanced, AI has the potential to amplify existing tendencies, making thoughtful implementation essential for positive outcomes. But only if AI implementation is part of a broader evolution of the existing culture and guardrails and good practice principles are agreed in advance.

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Space for everyone

Open plan offices don’t work as they force everyone into one way of working.

Yet, when time and effort is spent developing an inspiring workspace that caters to different working styles, it can transform collaboration.

It’s easier to build one space for all, but smarter to build a space for everyone.

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Communication: the key to success

The root cause of most culture issues that I see is the one skill that everyone can and should learn: communication.

In today's interconnected world, mastering effective communication is the cornerstone of personal and professional success. While technical expertise and industry knowledge are valuable, the ability to articulate ideas, actively listen, and connect meaningfully with others serves as the fundamental differentiator between good and exceptional performers.

Consider how communication permeates every aspect of our working lives. From explaining strategies, crafting compelling presentations and negotiating deals to resolving conflicts and building trust-based relationships. Effective communication - that is, tailoring one’s message for the person on the receiving end of it - shapes outcomes at every turn. 

Research consistently shows that teams with strong communication patterns outperform their peers. They experience higher productivity, improved trust, higher engagement, increased innovation, and better retention of key employees.

Effective communication also acts as a multiplier for other skills. The most brilliant strategy remains worthless if it cannot be conveyed convincingly to staff and stakeholders. Technical expertise loses impact when it cannot be explained in accessible terms. The most prevalent communication failure in organisations is when leadership potential stays untapped because someone struggles to inspire and motivate others.

As organisations become increasingly global and as remote work continues to become more commonplace for office-based workers, communication skills have taken on new significance. The ability to navigate cultural nuances, master digital tools, and maintain team cohesion across time zones has become non-negotiable.

And the good news is that communication is a learnable skill. Through conscious practice, feedback, and dedication to improvement, anyone can enhance their communication capabilities. Starting with active listening, developing emotional intelligence, and honing message clarity, any employee can systematically build their communication muscle.

In an era where change is constant and complexity is rising, strong communication serves as the bridge between potential and achievement. It's not just another skill, it's the master key that unlocks personal and professional excellence.

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A case of the Mondays

Of course, having ‘a case of the Mondays’ isn’t a real thing, but the truth is it’s simply impossible for you to roll up to work every day and be 100% committed and engaged. You might be feeling unwell, have things going on in your personal life or be dreading some of the work interactions that you need to have.

However, when you choose to broadcast your bad mood — for example sighing heavily, making cutting remarks, or responding curtly to colleagues — you're not just having a personal moment. You're actively contributing to what organisational psychologists call emotional contagion, where one person's mood can spread through a team like a virus.

In cultures of high empathy, your teammates will give you the opportunity to share and hopefully help to ease how you feel. But there's a critical difference between seeking support and spreading negativity.

It’s every employee’s responsibility to not just bring their technical skills to their work, but also their emotional intelligence. This means understanding that how you show up on Monday (or any day!) shapes the environment that everyone has to work in.

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