If you lead people, understand this: there's no such thing as a neutral observer when workplace misconduct happens.
Every person who witnesses inappropriate behaviour makes a choice. Act or don't act. Speak or stay silent.
The myth of the passive bystander lets us off the hook. But that's not how workplace culture works.
Your Team Is Always Watching 👀
When problematic behaviour occurs - the dismissive comment, the exclusionary behaviour, the inappropriate joke - everyone notices.
And in that moment, every person makes a calculation: Is this acceptable here? Will anyone do anything?
When silence follows, the answer becomes clear. This is how we do things around here.
Your culture isn't shaped by your values statement. It's shaped by what you permit in practice.
There Is No Neutral 😔
When problematic behaviour happens, witnesses play one of two roles:
They either DISRUPT it - through intervention, support, or escalation - and signal this isn't acceptable.
Or they ENABLE it - through silence or nervous laughter - and signal this is tolerable.
Your response sends a message. The only question is which direction you push it.
The First Follower Effect 💖
The second person to act often matters more than the first.
When one person speaks up alone, they're an outlier. When a second person validates that response - "I noticed that too" - everything changes. The second voice creates permission for others. It transforms individual courage into collective expectation.
Do not underestimate the power of the ‘first follower’. Your response sets the standard. 💯
What Your Silence Teaches vs. What Your Action Teaches ✅
🤫 Silence teaches: Values are conditional. Rank determines dignity. Self-preservation is smarter than integrity. Some people matter less.
💪🏻 Action teaches: Your values are real. Everyone's dignity matters. Speaking up is normal. Culture is everyone's responsibility.
The most powerful culture change comes from watching someone you respect do the ‘right thing’ when it’s not the ‘easy thing’.
Close the Permission Gap 🧐
"I didn't think it was my place to say something."
This belief is killing workplace culture.
As a leader, your team needs to hear explicitly:
Everyone has permission to intervene
Intervention is expected, not exceptional
There are many ways to act beyond confrontation
People who intervene will be supported
Making Intervention Possible ✅
Your team faces real barriers: fear, uncertainty, and concern about consequences.
Telling them to be braver doesn't help. You need to:
Provide training with practical skills
Model intervention - let them see what it looks like
Protect people who act
Create multiple pathways for different comfort levels
Celebrate intervention even when imperfect
The Compounding Effect ➕
When intervention becomes normal, culture shifts.
The first time is noteworthy. The second time is a pattern. The third time is culture.
Each intervention creates permission for the next one. Problematic behaviour gets addressed before it escalates. People adjust when they learn it won't be tolerated.
Culture shifts one choice at a time. ✅
The Leadership Standard 🫶🏻
You can't delegate culture. It's built through thousands of small moments where someone with influence chooses what to permit.
Your team is watching what you do when it's uncomfortable to act.
There are no bystanders - only people who act or people who regret staying silent.
As a leader, which do you want to be? 🤔
You want to know more about how Blythe creates meaningful connections? ✨
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