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Five Easy Steps to Change Your Culture

5 easy steps to set your culture
by John Durso

This story offers 5 actionable steps to begin to understand and change company culture.

Defining Culture

Most organizations say they care about their culture, but very few can actually articulate what they mean, let alone define it in a way that sparks conversation.

Here’s ours:
“Culture = Actions. Your culture is a collective standard of behavior displayed by a group based on aligned beliefs and values.”

Culture is not a promise, an intention, or a slogan, and it’s certainly not what’s written on the wall. Your culture lives in your actions. Your culture is what your reputation says it is.
You are what you did. Your culture is in your past.

Let me say that again. Your culture is in your past.

Walk the Talk

If we say we value service, we should see it in how quickly calls are returned.

If we say we value teamwork, we should see it in how conflict is handled.

If we say we value excellence, we should see it in preparation, follow-through, and ownership of a situation.

If beliefs live in the heart, values live in the mind, then culture lives in behavior.

And behavior is clearly measurable.

What if I Need to Change My Culture?

If you want to change culture, you don’t start with a rebrand. You start by changing what gets modeled, what gets rewarded, and what gets tolerated.

Think about what virtues you’d like the press to say about your company in a story. Pick one and start there. For example:

Do you want to be known as a company that cares about the environment?

This image shows a company which is environmentally friendly, along with 5 steps to achieving associated behaviors.
Image by Chat GPT

Follow these steps:

  1. Create your company’s definition of “environmentally friendly.”
  2. Develop examples of behaviors that you want your company’s employees to perform or live. That includes you too, boss.
  3. In some cases, hire individuals who naturally behave that way, using behavioral interview questioning. They share the same values and will love their job.
  4. Change systems, processes, and rules to support leaders in reinforcing these behaviors. Start with the annual review process.
  5. Reward good behaviors and educate behaviors that go against your values in private.

Leadership and management become much easier when coming from the position of company values.

If you would like a free examination of your company and its values, reach out to us today.

Tags: Leadership
John Durso
LinkedIn

John Durso writes about culture and leadership from a place of lived experience. He holds a degree in Organizational Leadership from Eastern University and has spent his career studying how people behave, how teams function, and how leaders influence both. His thinking has been shaped by works like Raving Fans, Fans First, Blue Ocean Strategy, and Good to Great, along with formal leadership experiences through the Disney Institute and numerous sales and leadership training programs. Early in his career, he worked in both family-run and corporate restaurants in front-of-house and kitchen roles, where he developed a sharp observational awareness of people, service, and team dynamics that continues to shape his perspective today. That foundation carried into a 25-year career in community banking, where John progressed from teller to Chief Retail Officer while working directly with hundreds of businesses and non-profits. His experience building relationships, leading teams, and driving growth informs his writing, which focuses on the connection between behavior, emotion, and results. As the founder and former publisher of Banking+, he has written and curated hundreds of articles centered on leadership, communication, and customer experience. His work reflects what he has seen firsthand, offering practical insight drawn from real interactions, real organizations, and real outcomes.

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