How People Shape Culture—and How Culture Shapes People: Why The Leaders Who Don’t Think They Need Culture Help, Probably Do

It was 8:30 a.m. the morning after Christmas. I had closed my company for a two-week break so my team and I could truly rest and enjoy the holidays with family. I was lying in bed, sick, after a glorious 14-hour coma—the kind of sleep that only comes after orchestrating a full-scale holiday production with myself as Santa, the elves, and the reindeer. I do all the shopping, planning, activities with the kids, wrap the presents, and make all the magic happen solo—my husband doesn’t celebrate for religious reasons. On Christmas Eve, I was up until 4:30 a.m. finalizing everything for three kids and four adults, then spent the next few hours nursing a baby and catching only glimpses of sleep before the activities began. My body was on the verge of collapse.

That’s when I received a text from a former client contact. It was brief: “Hi,” followed by a request for help with a system issue. No pleasantries, no questions about how I was or about my new baby. Just business.

Here’s the context: We had worked closely together for two years. I helped them launch and integrate various HR and talent systems, owned the operations of those systems, provided training, supported recruiting and strategy, and even helped hire my own replacement for their full-time HR support. When the new HR contact took over, I stayed in touch to ensure a smooth transition and maintain the relationship, but after I went on maternity leave, my follow-up attempts went unanswered. Ten months later, this text landed in my inbox as if no time had passed—because their usual HR contact was out sick, and they needed something from me.

I didn’t take it personally. However, it was disappointing and telling. This was a client we loved working with, but they had significant culture issues that they refused to prioritize, despite the evidence. Their turnover was immense, and though we ran multiple cost analyses demonstrating the financial impact of their cultural problems, they still insisted it wasn’t a priority.

What struck me most wasn’t the abruptness of the message but the fact that it reflected exactly the kind of culture we had tried to address: a culture of relentless work, constant availability, and devaluing the human element in pursuit of results. The person who reached out was someone I respected greatly, but even they were now reflecting the very culture they had once wanted to improve.

This story underscores a fundamental truth: People shape culture, but culture also shapes people.

Culture: The Spice of Every Organization

Every new hire is like adding a spice to a dish. I've worked across enough diverse industries and teams to see it firsthand. Each individual brings something unique to the table—perspectives, values, and behaviors—which inevitably alters the overall flavor of the team. Will they enhance it? Will they detract from it? Either way, the culture is forever changed by their presence.

Conversely, culture influences individuals in profound ways. A healthy, supportive culture can encourage personal growth, collaboration, and well-being. A toxic culture, however, can erode a person’s empathy, resilience, and even sense of self-worth. Over time, individuals often conform to the dominant culture, whether they realize it or not.

This is why leaders who dismiss the importance of culture are often the ones who need the most help. They see culture as abstract fluff—something nice to talk about in meetings but irrelevant to the bottom line. Yet culture, when properly nurtured, produces tangible, measurable results: lower turnover, higher engagement, improved performance, and stronger employer branding.

When Culture Is Left to Chance

Leaving culture to chance is like planting a garden and walking away. Without intentional care, weeds grow, overtaking the flowers you hoped would bloom. The same happens in organizations. When leaders don’t consciously shape their culture, it shapes itself—often in ways that undermine the very goals they want to achieve.

In the case of my former client, the culture of “work, work, work” and “be always available” had taken root so deeply that even the head of HR was unconsciously perpetuating it. The human element—connection, empathy, genuine relationships—had been devalued, replaced by an unrelenting focus on productivity.

The Real Cost of Ignoring Culture

We ran several cost analyses for this client, showing how their high turnover was draining resources and affecting performance. Studies consistently back this up: According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), replacing an employee can cost anywhere from six to nine months of their salary. Gallup research shows that engaged teams see a 21% increase in profitability and a 59% reduction in turnover. Culture isn’t just a “nice-to-have”—it directly impacts the bottom line. For example, in one of our client engagements, we overhauled their cultural approach and saw a measurable 30% reduction in turnover within 18 months. It’s proof that when culture is nurtured, it drives real business results.

Building the Right Culture

Creating a thriving culture isn’t about slogans or mission statements plastered on walls. It’s about consistent, intentional actions that reflect the values you want to instill. It starts with leadership. Leaders set the tone, but every individual contributes to the culture. It’s a continuous, dynamic process—a dance between people and their environment.

A Call to Action for Leaders

If this story resonates with you—if you’ve ever felt the weight of a toxic culture or seen the magic of a great one—consider this your call to action. Culture isn’t abstract fluff when it’s done right. It’s the foundation of every great organization. And if you’re thinking, “We don’t need culture help,” I invite you to pause and really examine what’s happening in your organization—because sometimes, the strongest signal that you do need help is exactly that thought. Culture isn’t just something you either have or don’t; it’s constantly evolving, and without guidance, it may evolve in ways you never intended.

As leaders, we have a responsibility to shape the culture we want to see—because if we don’t, the culture will shape us in ways we may not like. So before you write off culture as something intangible, think about what it’s already costing you. And remember, culture can be your greatest asset—or your biggest liability. The choice is yours.