While coaching leaders, one of the things I get asked for a lot is help with accountability conversations. And it’s not usually the black-and-white conversations that follow failure to hit goals. Those conversations are relatively easy in comparison to conversations about behavior.

It’s almost a universal struggle – especially with new leaders. Organizations must prepare their leaders to have these inevitable conversations about behavior that is out of bounds.

This is one of the many reasons why it’s important to define and document the culture of your business. Because culture is who you are and what you do, it defines the behaviors that are required and those that are unacceptable.

For example, one company I worked with was concerned about an increasing level of gossip among the team. That negative behavior was something they wanted to eliminate, so one element of their Code of Honor is “We talk to our teammates, not about them.”

You might be wondering, ‘Do we really need to address gossip in our culture statements? Doesn’t everyone know that talking about a teammate behind their back undermines team cohesion?’

You would hope so, but even if everyone did know, it’s still difficult for many to call out someone for gossiping. It can feel like it’s just my subjective opinion that you shouldn’t be talking about a teammate.

But if it’s a stated part of your culture, that everyone agrees to abide by, it can’t be interpreted as my opinion. It’s who we are and what we do and I’m just holding you accountable to it.

That’s what we mean when we talk about culture as the invisible leader. Zach Mercurio, author of The Invisible Leader, wrote:

“Invisible leadership asserts that the best leaders aren’t people at all. It removes people, positions, and power from the mix. A compelling, common purpose is the most powerful leader.”

The best leader, in other words, is your culture.

Have you defined your culture and given your leaders the assistance of an invisible leader? If not, you’re expecting them to have those difficult conversations without arming them with the most effective conversational tool.

If that’s the case for you, it’s time to define your culture. It’s time to remind everyone of the world-bettering reason your business was founded and the behaviors that enable your success.

I can help. Just email me and I will send you some resources to help you deploy an invisible leader in your business.