Where do we begin when we set out to improve our culture? Perhaps the more honest question is: where do I begin?
Seth Godin said it beautifully:
“Culture is created by all of us. It might feel as though it is done to us, but it is also created by us.”
Culture is both collective and personal
This wisdom invites us into humility. Culture is not something that happens out there. It lives in each of us, in our responses, our habits, our daily choices. Travel to another country and you feel it immediately. In the UK, we drive on the left. In Spain and Italy, dinner is a late, unhurried affair. In the Netherlands, it is not. These patterns shape us, and yet we shape them too.
When we read Seth’s words with fresh eyes, we start to see two movements at play. There is the collective current, the road we all drive on together, and there is our individual response to it. We can go with it. We can resist it. We can accept it. Or, with enough shared intention and inner alignment, we can seek to change it.
And this is where the real work begins, and where it asks something of us. Changing the side of the road an entire country drives on requires collective awareness, agreement, and commitment. The same is true inside our organizations.
Patterns we see and patterns we feel
In company culture, some patterns are easy to spot. Like the manufacturing plant where everyone parks in reverse so that, in an emergency, leaving is safe and swift. A small habit. A profound expression of care for one another.
Other patterns are less visible, but no less powerful. The room that sighs when someone shares a new idea. The conversations full of “us and them” that quietly build walls between teams. The unspoken norm where decisions drift upward, leaving people feeling disempowered and unseen.
These patterns are not flaws in people. They are the accumulated weight of collective habits, and they can be changed. But only if we first have the courage and compassion to see them clearly, together.
Awareness as the first act of change
The first step in any culture journey is awareness. A collaborative, open-hearted inquiry into the patterns we have co-created and the ones we genuinely wish to transform. This is not about blame. It is about the kind of honest, grounded attention that makes growth possible.
There are many tools to support this. Culture assessments rooted in frameworks like Spiral Dynamics, Barrett’s 7 Levels, or Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Or something beautifully simple. Inviting someone new into your organization and genuinely listening to what they notice. Imagine if every new employee were debriefed before they lose that precious fresh perspective.
If this raises questions or recognition, you are not alone.
Culture change rarely starts with answers, but with shared awareness. Feel free to connect with us on LinkedIn or get in touch. We are always open to a thoughtful conversation.
