I walked into the conference room five minutes early.

It was quiet. Still. You could almost feel the tension clinging to the walls.

People started trickling in, heads down, coffee in hand. No one spoke. No small talk. Just a shuffle of laptops, a few throat clears, and the slow unpacking of silent anxiety.

This was a leadership team I’d been called in to coach.

On paper, they had it all: a clear mission, a set of beautiful values — words like collaboration, innovation, respect — framed and hanging in the hallway.

But the moment I stepped into that room, I knew.

Something was off.

And not just a little.

This team had a culture.

But it wasn’t the one they had designed.

Here’s what I want you to know: You always have a culture.

Even when you’re not trying. Even when no one is talking about it. Even when it’s uncomfortable to name.

The question isn’t whether a culture exists. The real question is whether it’s intentional… or accidental.

Culture by design or by default?

That’s the decision we’re all making—whether we know it or not.

Let’s break this down together.

Culture, at its core, is not what’s written in your company’s strategy deck. It’s not the posters in the hallway. It’s not the leadership retreat slides.

Culture is the lived experience.

It’s how people think, how they act, and how they interact — with each other, with clients, with you.

I borrow that simple definition from Greg Cagle’s Four Dimensions of a Culture framework—a tool I use often with clients who are ready to turn vague cultural aspirations into something tangible and actionable.

Because here’s what happens when culture is left to chance:

• People start protecting themselves, not each other.
• Teams get stuck in cycles of silence or blame.
• Leaders say one thing, but the team sees another.
• Values start to feel like empty words.
• Performance flatlines—or worse, slowly erodes.

And the kicker?

It doesn’t happen all at once. It creeps in. Quietly. Gradually. Until one day, someone says:

“This place just doesn’t feel the same anymore.”

When I started coaching the leadership team I mentioned earlier, they didn’t need more posters.

What they needed was a mirror.

We walked through the Four Dimensions framework together. We talked about what kind of culture they thought they had. Then we unpacked what their teams were actually experiencing.

The contrast was sobering.

They wanted a courageous culture—one where people spoke up, took ownership, and leaned into challenges.

But what they actually had was a compliant culture. People followed the rules, checked the boxes, and kept their heads down.

No one dared to question decisions. No one challenged the status quo. No one felt safe enough to say, “I see a better way.”

And the gap between what they said they valued and what they actually rewarded?

That was the Culture Gap.

So how do you start closing it?

Not with a new set of values. Not with another team-building event.

You start by asking yourself one powerful question:

What kind of culture am I reinforcing every day—through my actions, my silence, my decisions?

Because culture isn’t built in town halls or off-sites.

It’s built in the hallway, the 1:1 meeting, the email you choose to send—or not send.

Culture is shaped, moment by moment, by the way we lead.

Here’s what I coach leaders to focus on:

1. Start with “Think – Act – Interact.” Every conversation is a chance to shape culture.

Ask yourself:

• What do I want my team to think as a result of this?
• How do I want them to act?
• How should they interact with each other afterward?

It’s simple, but it’s a game-changer.

2. Model the behavior. Always. Want transparency? Share more than you’re comfortable with. Want accountability? Own your misses. Want respect? Give it when it’s hardest.

John Maxwell calls this The Law of the Picture:

“People do what people see.”

3. Address misalignment immediately. Don’t let behavior drift from your values. Don’t explain it away. Don’t excuse it. Name it. Coach it. Realign it.

Because what you permit, you promote.

The good news?

You don’t have to overhaul your culture overnight. You just have to start leading it — on purpose.

And if you’re seeing signs of a gap between what your organization says it values and how your people actually behave, I’d love to help you take that first step.

On April 29th at 08:00 CET, I’m hosting a free live training on The Culture Gap. We’ll go deeper into the framework I’ve shared with you here. You’ll leave with a tool you can use immediately. And we’ll talk about how to shift your culture — one intentional interaction at a time.

You can register here 👉 Zoom Registration Link

Let’s stop letting culture happen by accident.

Let’s lead it on purpose.

Kindly,

Florin