Cultural Change Does Not Happen Magically

“How can I change the culture on my team?”

This is a question that I hear all the time.

The truth?

Cultural change doesn’t happen with the wave of a magic wand.

But it can happen over time if you choose to focus on it. 

Let me share a quick story.

Last year, one of my clients, let’s call her Sarah, was promoted to Vice President. With her new role came the challenge of leading a different department within her organization.

She inherited a leadership team made up of six Directors, each managing a group of four to six Managers who reported directly to them.

And here was the issue: There was a lot of gossip.

There were too many backdoor conversations and “meetings after the meeting.”

This was a culture where blame was more common than trust.

Sarah came to me and said, “I need to change this atmosphere. I want to create a culture of trust and collaboration.”

So, we got to work.

Over the past year, we’ve been chipping away at it together.

Sarah and I both know that changing culture takes time.

But it’s working…slowly, steadily and intentionally.

Are you curious how we did this?

Below is the process that we used. Steps one to three included Sarah and her Directors. By Step Four, we were ready to include the Managers as well.

Step One: Assess and Define Your Team Culture & Purpose

We started by reviewing the current culture. I used an assessment tool to identify her team’s strengths and growth areas. We then worked together to craft a purpose statement to help guide their desired culture.

Step Two: Leverage Leadership to Drive the Purpose

In this step, we refined the purpose statement. I then taught the Directors how to effectively lead and communicate in order to reinforce their new culture consistently.

Step Three: Coach to Drive Accountability

In this step, I taught the Directors how to use coaching conversations to drive accountability and how to connect those conversations back to the team’s purpose and cultural goals.

Step Four: Create a Culture of Open Communication

This session included the Directors and their Managers. I taught them practical strategies to move away from gossip and negative communication patterns and how to foster a culture of open, high-trust communication across all levels of the team.

While the work with Sarah’s team is far from over, we are making really good progress.

Leadership isn’t about quick fixes.

It’s about showing up, staying focused, and doing the work day in and day out!

When it comes to culture, slow and steady really does win the race.