Peeing In The Pool with Pete Jensen, Director of Larsen Jensen

Workplace culture is something we all create – and something we all have to live with. When people do things that are bad for that culture, everyone arounds them suffer. So why do we tolerate actions that hurt the workplace culture? Perhaps the metaphor we use will make the cost of inaction clear! 

This episode we welcome our guest Pete Jensen, Director of Larsen Jensen and have a fantastic chat about the following:

• Workplace culture is not a spectator sport – it is not something that you watch, it is something you do. But a lot of people have a belief that someone else is responsible for the culture they work in
• Workplace culture is like a swimming pool – and not one we sit beside in our deck chair. We come to work and get in the pool. That is our working environment – sometimes called climate
• We all want to swim in a clean pool, fresh and clear water, but people do things in the water that isn’t good for it. That negatively impacts the quality
• Now we have gone this far, might as well go all the way – sometimes people pee in the pool. But they still have to swim in it
• Often the people with the biggest bladders are the ones who complain most about the water. Now they are swimming in lower quality water and not enjoying it. But who is responsible?
• Everyone in that pool has the opportunity to make good choices and good decisions and keep the water pristine
• why doesn’t everyone just do the things that keep it clean
• The choices that define the culture are micro choices – and those that have a negative impact are often just lazy, easy or habitual choices – not being accountable, getting involved in petty differences, being too tired to go the extra step to help a co-worker or customer, engaging in gossip, being passive aggressive, complaining about management, not giving feedback or showing appreciation to a team member, not having an honest and courageous conversation, putting own needs above the teams, etc
• Bottom line (no pun intended) – if you aren’t swimming in the water you want, how are you contributing to that? Once you have examined your own actions, it’s a great discussion to have with your team
• Senior leaders have a disproportionate impact on the culture. Whatever you put in the water, the drops are bigger. 
• Through modelling you set the benchmark and make it clear what is really expected
• You also have no right to ask others to make choices you don’t make for yourself. You don’t have to be perfect and you will make mistakes, but your credibility as a leader and a shaper of culture depends on you holding yourself to a high standard 

Thanks again to our guest in this episode Pete Jensen - Director of Larsen Jensen. You can connect with Pete via Linked In here. 

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For our Peeing In The Pool Download - head to http://www.reallearning.com.au/peeing-in-the-pool

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Thanks to our producer, Josh at Deadset Podcasting