Things Leaders Do

How to Be a People-First Leader When Your Company Isn't

• Colby Morris

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You believe in people-first leadership, but you work in a results-only culture. Your peers manage by spreadsheet. Your boss treats people like resources. You're wondering: Can I actually lead differently without getting crushed?

Here's the truth: You can't change the entire company culture right now. But you CAN change your team culture. And that's more powerful than you think.

In this episode, leadership consultant Colby Morris shares how middle managers can pioneer people-first leadership in organizations that aren't there yet—and create lasting cultural change from within.


What You'll Learn:

  • The two biggest mistakes leaders make in toxic work cultures (and how to avoid them)
  • Why focusing on your team culture beats trying to fix company culture
  • How to use one-on-ones to build trust and drive results simultaneously
  • The "fly under the radar" strategy that protects you while proving your approach works
  • Creating healthy contagion: How one team's culture spreads organization-wide
  • Real case study: Leading 20 managers and 350 employees to cultural transformation

Perfect for middle managers, directors, and VPs who want to be people-first leaders but don't have authority to mandate company-wide change. Also valuable for executives exploring organization-wide culture transformation.


Referenced Episodes:

  • One-on-One Leadership Series: June 14, 2024 & December 4, 2024 
  • June 4 & 9, 2025

Want the one-on-one templates and frameworks? Contact Colby for free resources.


Connect with Colby Morris

Website: nxtstepadvisors.com 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/colbymorris

Services: Executive Coaching | Leadership Training | Keynote Speaking | Culture Transformation

Executives: Ready to discuss organization-wide people-first culture transformation? Let's talk.

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Remember: Keep focusing on your team first, not fixing the company. Keep showing up consistently in your one-on-ones. And keep proving that people-first leadership actually drives better results. Because those are the things that leaders do.

#PeopleFirstLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #OneOnOnes #MiddleManagement #CultureChange #ExecutiveCoaching #WorkplaceCulture #LeadershipTips #ToxicWorkplace #TeamCulture


SPEAKER_01:

People first leadership. Actionable strategies, real results. This is Things Leaders Do with Colby Morris.

SPEAKER_00:

So you believe in people first leadership. You know it's the right way to lead. You've seen the research. You've heard the stories. You get it. But here's the problem. You look around and realize you're the only one who thinks this way. Your peers are managing by a spreadsheet. Your boss talks about holding people accountable like it's a threat. The culture rewards results at any cost. And people are just resources to be managed. And you're sitting there wondering, can I actually do this differently? Am I just being naive? Am I going to get eaten alive trying to be the people first leader in a results-only culture? Here's what I want you to hear today. You can't change the entire company, not right now, but you can change your team. And that's a lot more powerful than you think. Hey leaders, this is Colby Morris, and this is the Things Leaders Do podcast. This podcast is designed to give you actionable strategies, just help you be a better leader faster. It's intentionally short, usually 15 to 23 minutes. So you can listen on your way to work and implement something you heard on the drive the minute you walk in the door. I'm not really about theory here. I want to give you the good stuff. Actionable tools that you can use today. And today? Today we're talking about how to be a people first pioneer in an organization that just isn't there yet. How to lead differently without getting crushed. And how one tool can change everything for your team, even when the broader culture is working against you. So let me start with the two biggest mistakes I see leaders make when they want to be people first, but they're working in a company that isn't. That first mistake, well, they give in to the overwhelm and they just don't try at all. They look at the culture around them, they see how entrenched it is, and they just think, what's the point? I mean, I'm just one person. I can't fight this. So they conform. They manage the way everyone else manages. And a little piece of them dies every time they treat it, try, you know, try to treat their people like numbers instead of humans. I've seen it happen over and over. The second mistake is they give up too early. They start trying to lead differently, and then they hear it from the older leaders or the results-driven leaders. You know what I'm talking about. The things like you're being too nice, or you'll learn the hard way, or my my personal favorite, you can't let them see you be human. Man, I hate that one. It is such garbage advice. And they they just hear it enough times, or maybe they they get burned once. You know, someone tries to take advantage of the people first approach and they miss a deadline or takes advantage of their flexibility. And then they figure, you know what? I guess everyone else was right. It's it's easier to just focus on results. It's safer, it's less messy. But here's what they're missing. They're not actually trying to change the culture of their team. They're trying to change the company, getting frustrated when it doesn't work, and then giving up on their own team in the process. That's the trap. And I don't want you to fall into it. Here's the paradigm shift I need you to embrace. Stop trying to change the company right now. Just stop. Now, let me be clear about who I'm talking to here. If you're in middle management, you're a director, a VP, a team leader, you probably can't mandate cultural changes across the entire organization. You don't have that kind of authority yet. And that's okay. That's actually where most leaders listening to this are. But if you're an executive listening to this, you do have the ability to mandate these changes across your organization, and we'll talk about that in a minute. But even for you, the principles still apply here. You still need to start somewhere, prove it works, and create that healthy contagion. But for most of you listening, here's what you need to accept. You can't control the company culture. You can't control what your boss values, you can't control how your peers lead their teams. But you know what you can control? Your team, your culture, your dynamics? Be committed to changing the culture of your team first and only. Be devoted to the leadership of your team. That's where your actual power is. Think about it. You have a sphere of influence. Maybe it's five people, maybe it's 50. Those people interact with you every day. They experience your leadership. They're shaped by your priorities and your approach. You can create a completely different experience for those people, regardless of what's happening two departments over or three levels up. Here's what's really powerful about this. When you focus on your team and get it right, the results speak for themselves. Your attention gets better, your engagement goes up, your performance improves, and suddenly people start asking questions. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Let me tell you about the one tool that makes all of this possible. All right. So if you're going to be a people first pioneer in a company that just isn't people first, here's what you need to do first. Implement 101s with your team. I know you've heard me talk about this, but listen, 101s are the single greatest tool in the leader's toolbox. Nothing else even comes close. And I will die on that hill. Here's why they're so powerful. 101s build trust and relationships. They address what I think of as Maslow's hierarchy of employee needs. People need to feel seen. They need to feel heard, valued, developed. One-on-ones do all of that. But here's the part that results-driven leaders never understand. One-on-ones also make you more effective at hitting your goals, not less. Because when you're having consistent one-on-ones, results are never a surprise. You're measuring things consistently. You're discussing progress regularly. You're identifying problems early. You're focused on both the person and the performance. And if you need to pivot, you know, make changes, you need to remove barriers so you can actually make the goal. You have that opportunity in real time. You're not waiting until the end of the quarter to realize something went wrong. Results-driven leaders wait for the numbers to tell them there's a problem. People first leaders see the problem coming because they're actually talking to their people. Now, I know what some of you are thinking. I don't have time for one-on-ones. I've got 12 direct reports. I'm barely keeping my head above water. But I hear you. And I'm telling you, you don't have time not to do one-on-ones. Because every issue you're dealing with right now, the miscon you know, the miscommunication, the missed deadlines, the lack of engagement, the turnover, all of that, all of that would be prevented or caught early with consistent one-on-ones. And look, I've done a whole series on one-on-ones on this podcast. I went and looked it up, and here's the episodes that I did. There started June 14th of 2024, December 4th of 2024, and then the most recent ones were June 4th and 9th of this year, 2025. I break down exactly how to structure them, what to discuss, how to make them effective. And I have the actual documents I use: templates, frameworks, all of it. If you want those, just reach out to me. I am happy to share them because this is the foundation of everything. Start with the one-on-ones. Everything else builds from there. All right. Let me tell you a story about why I'm so passionate about this approach. Years ago, I led a team of 20 managers who were overseeing 350 employees. This was a large, results-driven organization, very corporate, very focused on the numbers. And at that time, I didn't I didn't even really know the language, people first leadership. Okay. I hadn't read the books or heard the podcast. I was just devoted to helping my team be better leaders by focusing on them and allowing them to focus on their people. So I implemented one-on-ones with my 20 managers consistently, every single one of them. And I coached them to do the same with their team. I focused on, get this, the people. I developed them as leaders. I removed barriers for them. I advocated for them. I treated them like humans, not resources. And you know what happened? It was the largest turnaround of culture I've ever been a part of. Retention was just crazy and improved dramatically. Engagement scores went way up. Performance went through the roof. And the crazy part is here it is, 11 years after I left that company, and those leaders still stay in touch with me. They still tell me about their successes. They check in on me. And I like to do the same with them. 11 years later. Think about that. That doesn't happen when you're just managing by a spreadsheet. That doesn't happen when you're only focused on results. That happens when you genuinely invest in people and they know it. And here's the kicker. I didn't change the company culture. I changed my team's culture. And the results were undeniable. So here's the strategy I want you to follow. Fly under the radar. Yeah. Fly under the radar. Don't make a big announcement that you're going to be a people first leader. Don't start challenging the existing culture or trying to convert other leaders. Okay. Don't position yourself as the rebel or the reformer. Just quietly do what you know you're supposed to do. Okay. Focus on your team. Implement your one-on-ones. Build trust. Develop your people. Remove barriers. Have the hard conversation and celebrate the wins. And then wait for the results to come in. Because when your retention numbers are better than the rest of the company, people will notice. When your team is more engaged, people will notice. When your team is performing at a different level and your people are more satisfied, yeah, people will notice. And that's when they'll start asking questions. What are you doing differently? How are you getting these results? Why is your team culture so different? And that is when you have the chance to explain. That's when you can actually make an impact beyond your team. Because here's what happens. Hear me. There are other leaders in your organization who have secretly wished to be better leaders, but they were afraid to make waves. They see what you're doing, they see it's working, and suddenly, what? They're empowered to make those changes too. And the leaders that you've developed, as they promote within the company and the organization, you know what they're going to do. They're going to take that same blueprint and implement it with their teams. It becomes a healthy contagion. Culture change from the inside out. But hey, listen, it starts with you quietly doing the right thing with your team and letting the results speak for themselves. All right. So let's get really practical. If you're ready to be that people first pioneer, here's what you do this week. First, commit to your team, not to the company, your team. Make the decision that you're going to create a different culture for the people you actually lead, regardless of what's happening around you. Second, schedule one-on-ones with every single person on your team. If you haven't been doing them, start now. If you have been doing them, but inconsistently, commit to consistency. Put them on the calendar and protect that time like it's sacred. And third, in those one-on-ones, focus on both the person and the performance. Ask about what they're working on, where they're stuck, what barriers they're facing, but also ask about how they're doing, what they're learning, what they need from you as their leader. Fourth, track your results. Not just the business metrics, but the people metrics. How's your retention? How's your engagement? How's the morale on your team? Because when those numbers improve, that's your your proof point. And fifth, be patient. Look, culture, culture change takes time. You're not going to transform everything overnight. But if you stay consistent, if you keep showing up for your people, if you keep doing the right thing, even when it feels like you're the only one, the results will come. And remember, you don't need permission from the top to be a great leader to your team. You just need commitment. So here's what I want you to do. Stop waiting for your company to change. Stop waiting for permission to lead differently. Start with your team. Start with one-on-ones. Start today. And if you want help with this, if you want those one-on-one templates I mentioned, if you want to go back and listen to that series on one-on-ones, do it or reach out to me. I'm here to help you be the leader you know you're supposed to be. And if your organization needs help building people first culture, or if you need help being that pioneer who starts the change, let me help. I'd love to. I work with leaders and teams through keynotes, executive coaching, leadership training to build people-first cultures that drive real results. And for you executives listening, if you have the authority to mandate cultural change across your entire organization and you want to know how to do that effectively, reach out to me. We can talk about organization-wide transformation, not just team-level change. Let's have that conversation. Everyone, you can connect with me on LinkedIn. That link is in the show notes, or you can visit my website, next stepadvisors.com. There's no EN Next, just NXT. And hey, if this episode resonated with you, would you do me a favor? Subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review. And then share this episode with another leader who needs to hear it. Maybe they're feeling alone and trying to lead differently. Send this to them. Let them know they're not alone. That's how we grow this community and how we get the word out to make a bigger impact on the workplace. Because, hey, the more leaders who get this stuff right, the better workplaces become for everyone. And remember, keep focusing on your team first, not fixing the company. Keep showing up consistently in your one-on-ones and keep proving that people first leadership actually drives better results. And you know why? Because those are the things that leaders do.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you for listening to Things Leaders Do. If you're looking for more tips on how to be a better leader, be sure to subscribe to the podcast and listen to next week's episode. Until next time, keep working on being a better leader by doing the things that leaders do.