Culture starts and ends at the top

Last week the CEO of a UK supermarket chain announced they were leaving the organisation. They are the latest in a very long line of senior people around the world to depart following toxic culture allegations.

At the time of the BBC report into the allegations of 'fear and alienation', the company responded by saying that they "do not believe that they represent the views of our broader leadership and colleagues". On Thursday, the CEO confirmed their decision to leave was "very much a personal decision".

It always is.

Toxic culture allegations never represent the views of leaders. They're the people paid well to preside over the conditions they've created. Conditions in which everyone else has to work.

If those conditions create fear and destroy morale, it's those at the top who should pay the price. And for this supermarket chain, it took years.

It usually does.

Culture always stops at the top. The only question is how long leaders are allowed to pretend it started somewhere else.