📬 In This Week’s Issue:
Why your real culture isn’t in the handbook, it’s in the habits
How small compromises become team-wide norms
A 3-part lens for reinforcing the right behaviors
Reader Q&A: “What if I inherited a team culture that’s already messy?”
A leadership challenge to raise your standard this week
Setting the Stage
Most companies have a culture deck.
Most teams have values on the wall.
Most of them sound great.
But culture isn’t built by what you say.
It’s built by what you reinforce.
And more often than not, it’s what you tolerate that becomes the standard.
🔎 THE BIG INSIGHT
Culture is shaped by behavior, not branding.
When someone misses a deadline and nothing happens, that’s culture.
When the loudest voice dominates every meeting and no one steps in, that’s culture.
When a teammate constantly shows up late, and you say nothing… that’s culture too.
The small stuff isn’t small.
It’s how norms are formed.
If you want a stronger culture, start by tightening the line on what you’ve been letting slide.
3 Questions to Pressure-Test Your Culture
1. What behavior do I see often, but rarely address?
Lateness? Passive communication? Missed follow-ups?
That’s your starting point.
2. What gets more attention: the loudest person or the best contribution?
If it’s always the same few voices, you’re shaping a culture of silence, even unintentionally.
3. When’s the last time we reinforced a value with real feedback?
Culture needs reps, not posters. Call out what’s working and what isn’t on purpose.
Takeaway:
The real culture isn’t what you preach.
It’s what your team experiences every day.
And that starts with what you allow, correct, and celebrate.
💬 READER QUESTION
Q: “What if I inherited a team culture that’s already messy?”
Start small.
You can’t flip a culture overnight, but you can raise the bar in your corner.
→ Set clear expectations going forward
→ Reinforce the behaviors you want more of
→ Address the stuff that used to slide
Culture turns slowly but it always turns.
And the team will follow the tone you set.
~ Chad Todd
This week, pick one behavior you’ve been tolerating too long and address it. It doesn’t need to be dramatic. Just direct, clear, and consistent. That’s how culture gets built one standard at a time.
P.S.
If you’re serious about building a stronger culture and better leadership systems, check out Culture Wheel.
It’s the platform leaders go to hone their skills and build engaged teams and simplify performance reviews.
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