The Leadership-Culture Cycle

Have you ever considered how the culture you shape as a leader also shapes you?

Leadership and culture are not a one-way street. Instead, they exist in a dynamic relationship of co-created influence.

As leaders, we set the tone, model the values, and establish the norm. Our decisions, actions, and behaviors lay the foundation for the organizational culture.?

But in return, the culture we shape reflects opportunities for our growth.?

Culture as a Mirror

Once established, a productive culture becomes a mirror for a leader, creating feedback loops and shared accountability.?

It reflects not only what’s working but also where there’s room for improvement. A healthy and productive culture challenges us to refine our approach, address blind spots, and rethink how we show up.

For example, if we instill transparency as a core value of the team, we will receive implicit or explicit feedback on where they can be more open about decisions and mistakes. Are we modeling what we’re asking of the team??

The culture becomes an accountability mechanism, individually and collectively.

The collective impact increases as the organization grows and more people join who align with the organizational core values.

New team members bring fresh perspectives that push the team to think differently, adapt, and evolve.?

This expansion doesn’t dilute the leader’s influence; it amplifies the potential for growth by challenging them to operate at a higher level.

Culture as an Antidote to Isolation

I initially felt like I was on an island when I transitioned into the CEO role.

Why? Because I no longer had anyone above me to learn from. For years, my approach had been to watch and emulate the values and characteristics of those several steps ahead.?

But stepping into the CEO role taught me a critical lesson: we don’t just learn from those above us—we can learn from those around us in all directions.

Growth opportunities exist from many sources, whether peers, team members, or external mentors/partners. But we must accept with humility that we alone do not have all the answers.

Leaders can uncover ways to improve and adapt by actively seeking input and being open to perspectives from all levels.?

The sentiment that “leadership is lonely” can sometimes result from our inadvertent self-creation. Isolating ourselves is to close ourselves off from the team; it’s left as an open loop, and the benefits of a functional culture are never fully realized in terms of our development.

Opening ourselves to the culture closes the loop. We establish boundaries for the culture, and it grows within those boundaries. The expanded culture influences our advancement, and the cycle repeats.

We can lead decisively, owning the responsibilities that only we can handle while remaining connected to those we serve and work with.

Leaders shape the culture, which then continues to shape the leader.

What Leaders Put In—They Get Out

What the leader puts in is what the leader gets out.?

An open and transparent leader who encourages feedback in all directions will benefit from their team's learning to “manage up.” More information results in better, faster decisions, influencing a team's ability to adapt and produce results. This is the intentional design of a reciprocating culture.

However, it’s all cyclical, even if it’s a dysfunctional culture.

A leader who knows all the answers, has an ego the size of Jupiter, is closed off and passive, and shuts down any input that comes back in their direction will receive less information. Their team will withhold, not only from them but from each other. This is often accidental, but it still reciprocates in a negative loop.

The key to intentional vs. accidental leadership is self-awareness. If we, as leaders, don’t know ourselves, we can’t lead ourselves and, therefore, won’t effectively lead others.

Leadership and culture exist in a reciprocal relationship. As you build a culture that aligns with your values and vision, it also builds you.

Regardless of intention or lack thereof, a culture provides a mirror to reflect our decisions, actions, and behaviors.

The choice is ours in whether we see it through the lens of threat or opportunity.

One of the best books I’ve read on this subject is “Culture Is an Inside Job” by Scott McGohan .?You can check it out here.

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I also offer leadership coaching, helping people align their decisions, actions, and behaviors with values and principles. You can schedule a free consultation here.

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