How to ensure your executive team avoids these workplace culture chokepoints
So, you’re ready to build a stronger workplace culture. You want your executive team energized, engaged, and doing work that matters. Maybe you’ve even rolled out a few new initiatives, held a town hall, or added some fun team-building or perks. That’s a good start.
But here’s the thing: Shaping culture is like crafting a story. If the main characters (your leaders) are poorly developed or behave unpredictably, the story won’t hold up no matter how compelling the plot.
10 Mistakes to Avoid When Working on Workplace Culture (and what to do instead)
We’ve seen it happen so often—a leadership team pours time and resources into “fixing culture” only to wind up with employees rolling their eyes.
If you’re making one (or more) of these common mistakes, you inadvertently undermine the culture you want to create.
Let’s talk about what NOT to do when building workplace culture, and more importantly, what you can do instead.
1. Outsourcing Culture to HR (or to consultants)
Don’t get us wrong. Your HR team should be vital strategic partners in building your HR strategy. I (Karin) spent years in HR at Verizon leading successful culture initiatives. And of course, we know the value consultants can provide.
We would love to partner with you and your executive team to build a practical plan for a high-performing, human-centered culture (it’s what we do best).
But, when executives treat culture as something HR or a “vendor” owns (ask us how much we hate that word ;-), it sends the message that culture is a “nice-to-have” and not a business priority.
Culture comes from the top. Your team will only care as much as you do.
What to do instead: Partner with HR (and maybe even us ;-), to make sure you’re leading the charge, modeling the habits, and visibly owning culture initiatives.
See Also: Leaders Coaching Leaders: How Leadership Development Leads to Sustained Culture Change
2. Talking About Values but Not Modeling the Values
If we had a kombucha for every time a team told us they’re “human-centered,” but then leaders consistently reward results over relationships…
When your words don’t match your actions, people notice. And they stop trusting you.
What to do instead: Translate your values into actionable, measurable habits. Ensure every executive team member team has a practical plan to model, communicate, and build a cadence of accountability and celebration around those habits.
The best way to prevent this mistake is to ensure every member of your executive team can translate your organization’s values into concrete, observable habits and behaviors. This will probably come more naturally for some of your executive team than others, so rather than just talking about your values, bring your executive team together and give them a chance to share exactly how they model the values through visible, concrete actions.
When you see your executive team modeling the behaviors (and developing them in others), thank them. Ensure that they notice you noticing. Encourage them to notice and celebrate the habits and behaviors in one another (and to hold one another accountable when they don’t).
3. Failing to Involve the Broader Team in Decision-Making
Yes. You need your executive team to own the culture. But, if employees don’t participate and share their ideas, they won’t have ownership and will be less invested.
What to do instead: Ask for input early and often. Use skip-level meetings, focus groups, or go for a walk-and-talk with your team. Ensure people feel heard, and they’ll be more likely to champion the vision – because now it’s their vision too.
A few of our favorite ways to do this is through a SynergySprint, where teams align on the critical habits needed to build their desired workplace culture and build practical plans and skills to achieve it.
4. Ignoring Frontline Management’s Role
Your front-line managers are your culture carriers. If they don’t see the big picture, lack communication skills, or are frustrated and overwhelmed, they won’t reinforce the habits you need for lasting culture change.
What to do instead: Train and empower your managers with practical leadership techniques and communication skills. Give them the tools and training they need to be confident culture advocates. And check in with them frequently to see where they need support.
5. Overloading Employees with Initiatives
You want change, fast. And all the initiatives seem like good ones. But, suddenly, everyone’s in “initiative fatigue,” and nothing sticks.
What to do instead: Prioritize a few specific habits that will make the biggest difference—and build tight, integrated plans on embedding those in every area of your culture.
Build a 5×5 communication plan for your executive team to connect what they are asking employees to do and why. Check for understanding to ensure everyone truly understands the habits that matter most. Ensure your leadership team models the behavior every day. Daily actions and accountability will be more effective than complex plans that feel disconnected from other strategic priorities.
6. Prioritizing Perks Over Purpose
Everybody likes free snacks. But, if employees feel overworked, underappreciated, or unclear on how their work contributes to something bigger, no amount of free popcorn will keep them engaged.
What to do instead: Ensure everyone understands your M.I.T. (Most Important Thing) leadership priorities, why they matter, and the initiatives, activities, and habits that align with the bigger picture.
7. Neglecting Accountability for Leadership Behaviors
Ever see a high-performing leader get a pass for poor behavior because “that’s just how they are”? It’s toxic. If people feel like there’s one set of rules for the powerful and another for everyone else, it kills motivation and trust.
What to do instead: Hold everyone to the same standards. Leadership is about modeling the culture you want to see. Make it clear that values are non-negotiable—even for your top performers.
See Also: How to Manage a Strong, Arrogant, Maybe Even Toxic High Performer.
8. Overemphasizing Quick Wins Instead of Long-Term Change
Now and then we get an “emergency” call from an HR manager looking for quick training because the employee engagement survey is coming out next month and the executive team is suddenly concerned.
You won’t change culture with one emergency training class. And you’ll make it worse if your HR manager opens the class by saying, “You asked for training, so here it is. Remember this when you fill out your HR pulse survey.” Most employees can smell a “ flavor of the month” initiative a mile away.
What to do instead: Balance quick wins with long-term strategies. Celebrate the small victories, but always have an eye on building systems and habits that will last.
9. Assuming Culture Will Happen ‘Naturally’
It’s easy to think that if you just hire good people, they’ll naturally create a great culture. But even the best people need a clear direction and intentional leadership development.
What to do instead: Be deliberate. Define what you want your culture to be, communicate it clearly, and reinforce it every day through your actions and decisions.
10. _____________ What would you add? What are the biggest mistakes you see executive teams make with culture change?
The good news? You’re already thinking about culture, which means you’re on the right track. Culture doesn’t change overnight, but with a little intention, a lot of role modeling, and a commitment to consistency, you can build a workplace culture where people want to work, grow, and give their best.
And when that happens, your people aren’t just working for you—they’re working with you to build something truly remarkable.
