Speaker 1: Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of
Speaker 1: performance through strong human relations, team building, and goal achieving.
Speaker 1: This is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host
Speaker 1: Paul Felloaldo.
Speaker 2: Hello everyone, and welcome to the seven Minute Leadership Podcast.
Speaker 2: It's episode three h two. One of the things I
Speaker 2: tell my employees often is this, my job is to
Speaker 2: provide you with a workplace free of bullying, harassment, and intimidation.
Speaker 2: My job is also to make sure that you go
Speaker 2: home to your family at the end of every shift.
Speaker 2: Notice I don't mention that my job is to save
Speaker 2: every life, turn a profit or trying to be the
Speaker 2: greatest ems chief in the world. I say that because
Speaker 2: as a leader, the foundation of what I do isn't
Speaker 2: about ego or accolades. It's about creating an environment where
Speaker 2: people feel safe, respected and valued. And that's what today's
Speaker 2: episode is all about. So what zero tolerance actually means?
Speaker 2: Too often organizations slap a zero tolerance label on their policies,
Speaker 2: but when harassment, bullying, or intimidation happens, they hesitate, They
Speaker 2: look the other way, They let things slide because it's complicated,
Speaker 2: or the person causing the issue as a top performer.
Speaker 2: That's not zero tolerance. That's selective enforcement, and it destroys
Speaker 2: trust in leadership. Zero tolerance means exactly that no exceptions.
Speaker 2: If bullying, harassment, or intimidation occur, action is taken every time,
Speaker 2: no matter who it is. If you're in a leadership role,
Speaker 2: people look to you to set the standard, and in
Speaker 2: any industry, how you handle workplace culture can be the
Speaker 2: difference between a strong, cohesive team and a toxic, dysfunctional one.
Speaker 2: So here's how you uphold a true zero tolerance culture.
Speaker 2: Number one, be clear and consistent. Your team should never
Speaker 2: have to wonder where the line is. Be crystal clear
Speaker 2: on what behaviors won't be tolerated and just as importantly,
Speaker 2: what the consequences will be. Number two, take action immediately
Speaker 2: the moment you see or hear about bullying, intimidation, or harassment.
Speaker 2: Address it. Don't wait, don't investigate for six months, and
Speaker 2: don't let things work themselves out. Your silence is approval.
Speaker 2: And number three, support the victim, not the problem. Too
Speaker 2: many workplaces protect the harasser because they're good at their job.
Speaker 2: That's a failure of leadership. Support the person who had
Speaker 2: the courage to speak up, If someone on your team
Speaker 2: feels unsafe or disrespected, their ability to do their job suffers,
Speaker 2: and so does the entire team. In last lead by example,
Speaker 2: you can't enforce a zero tolerance policy if you tolerate
Speaker 2: it in small doses. If you laugh off an inappropriate comment,
Speaker 2: ignore workplace clicks, or let intimidation slide, you're signaling to
Speaker 2: your team that the rules don't really matter. And here's
Speaker 2: what employees should do. If you're dealing with bullying, harassment,
Speaker 2: or intimidation. Here's what you need to remember. Document everything,
Speaker 2: dates times, what was said or done, and who witnessed it,
Speaker 2: and report it. Don't suffer in silence, follow your company's
Speaker 2: reporting process, and most importantly, know you're worth No job
Speaker 2: is worth your mental health or safety. If leadership won't
Speaker 2: take action, escalate the issue, or find a workplace that
Speaker 2: values you. A strong leader protects their people. I don't
Speaker 2: care how talented someone is. If they create a toxic environment,
Speaker 2: they don't belong on the team. My job is not
Speaker 2: to be the greatest ems chief in the world. My
Speaker 2: job is to send you home to your family at
Speaker 2: the end of every shift, and to make sure that
Speaker 2: while you're here, you work in an environment free of harassment, pullying,
Speaker 2: and intimidation. If you're a leader, remember zero tolerance means
Speaker 2: zero tolerance, not when it's convenient, not when it's easy,
Speaker 2: every single time. And if you haven't done so, please
Speaker 2: five start review the show on whatever platform you listen on,
Speaker 2: and head over to Amazon and pick up your copy
Speaker 2: of my newest book, The Leadership Academy. This has been
Speaker 2: a seven minute leadership podcast and I thank you for listening.
Speaker 1: For more Paul Fellovlito podcasts, visit Paul fellowalito dot com