Many leaders among us believe that culture is what leaders say in meetings. Especially the highly produced and curated interal annual leadership conference(s). It’s not. It’s what people experience when decisions are made under pressure. Teams watch closely during moments of tradeoffs: staffing shortages, budget constraints, resident complaints, and operational failures. Those moments define culture far more than mission statements ever will.
When leaders protect standards even when it’s inconvenient, culture strengthens. When they compromise values for speed or optics, culture erodes. Every decision teaches the organization what truly matters.
If you want to shape culture, audit your recent decisions. They tell the story more honestly than any internal messaging campaign.
Tomorrow’s tip: The Cost of Letting “Urgent” Crowd Out “Important.”
— Mike Brewer