Episode 80: Your Culture is Talking: What is it Actually Telling You?

Episode 80

Your Culture is Talking: What is it Actually Telling You?

Episode Summary

Most leaders can describe their culture in terms of perks and intentions — but they can’t clearly articulate what it actually is. Culture shows up in who gets recognized, who goes quiet, and what gets tolerated, and it's sending you signals whether you're paying attention or not. The question isn't whether your culture is talking — it's whether you're willing to notice what it's actually saying.

Key Points:

• Culture is communicated through behaviour — who gets recognized, who gets promoted, and what gets tolerated tells your team far more about your values than anything written on a wall.

• Most leaders track lagging indicators like surveys and turnover, but the real information is in the leading signals: who's gone quiet, who's disengaged, and what stories you're telling yourself when people leave.

• Having values listed is not the same as having them defined — without clear examples of what each value looks like in practice, you've got a team working off different definitions of the same word.

Resources

• Blog Posts:

  • The Hidden Power of Values: Why Teams Struggle Without Clear Alignment

  • Do You Know Your Values?

  • Values in the Workplace: How to Create a Values-Based Organization

  • Taking Values from Paper to Practice

  • Beyond the Buzzword: Core Values Matter

  • The Hidden Power of Values: Why Teams Struggle Without Clear Alignment

• Free Leadership Toolbox

• Patrick Lencioni

Related Episodes

• Core Values That Stick: From Empty Promises to Everyday Actions

• Cracks in the Foundation: 3 Common Culture Killers That Destroy Your Team

• Beyond Words: How Living Your Values Shapes Your Culture

• Living Your Values: From Ideas to Actions

• You Get What You Tolerate: Building, Protecting, and Defending Your Culture

• Built on Purpose: Creating the Organizational Culture You Actually Want

Listen

Listen on Sound Sugar Radio Monday to Friday at 11:00 am and approximately every 75-90 minutes.

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About Jacquie:

Jacquie is the founder of Leadership and Life by Kayric Inc, where she blends the best of teaching, leadership, and the occasional The West Wing reference to help non-profits and small business build strong leaders and healthy teams. Utilizing DISC and The Five Behaviours of a Cohesive team, combined with teaching knowledge and experience, Jacquie strives to empower leaders with the skills no one taught them and to create teams who want to work together.

Formerly a junior high teacher (who loves teenagers), Jacquie brings a decade of classroom wisdom, ten years corporate training experience, a growth mindset, and a sprinkle of mild rebellion to her dynamic approach.

In her free time, Jacquie channels her passion for community improvement by volunteering with school councils, serving on non-profit boards, and generally finding ways to make her corner of the world a better place. You can also find her on the side of a soccer pitch, at Remedy Café or in her scrapbook room.

Contact Jacquie