You can cause a lot of harm

If you're a senior leader, if you have authority or influence, your actions and words carry weight.

People pay attention to what you say — a lot more than you think. Sometimes because they respect you, sometimes just because they have to. Either way, your words land heavier. Your opinions stick. Your habits spread.

Not everyone will follow you, but enough people will. And when you’re at the top, your influence spreads wider and faster.

Your comments can change the course of a discussion. How people think about a topic, about someone, and how they behave. Jeff Bezos used to say he talks last in meetings to avoid influencing the team too early. I know what you’re thinking: “I’m not Jeff Bezos.” And yeah, you’re right — but you don’t need to be to influence your team.

You’re a multiplier. The challenge is that you multiply everything.

Your good habits, your positive mindset, your healthy ways of giving feedback, but also your shortcuts, your biases, your avoidance, your bad days.

People copy what they see in their leaders, in those with more experience, and then they start doing it themselves. Multiply that across a team or an org, and that becomes the culture. And once something becomes culture, good luck changing it.

Isolated behaviors like failing to act when someone says something disrespectful, not being clear or honest with feedback, or hiding information "to protect the team" can quietly poison the environment.

And if the results are still good, no one says much. So the behavior stays.

So yeah… senior leaders can do a lot of good. But they can also do a lot of harm.

What can leaders do?

- Take your responsibility seriously.

- Review your blind spots. Ask for feedback to uncover them.

- Be more intentional in how you act and speak. Don’t let your bad days impact others.

- Name the behaviors you want to see.

- Pay close attention to what you accept, reward, celebrate, and what you let slide.

What do you think? I’d love to hear your experiences.