Lesson 2: Intentional Culture: Creating a Performance-Driven Culture Centered on Collaboration, Kindness, and Execution

Building a high-performing, positive workplace culture is not accidental.  It requires intention, consistency, and leadership. As organizations grow and evolve, the temptation to prioritize short-term results over long-term cultural health can be strong. Yet, neglecting culture as you scale, tolerating toxic behaviors, or failing to clearly communicate values and expectations can undermine even the most ambitious teams. Below please find three common mistakes and six actionable best practices for creating a culture that drives performance through collaboration, kindness, and execution.

Common Mistakes

• Neglecting Culture as You Scale – Many organizations focus so intently on growth, hiring, and product development that they overlook the need to nurture their culture.  As teams expand, new employees bring diverse perspectives and expectations, but without intentional cultural reinforcement, especially around collaboration and execution, core values can become diluted, forgotten, or as Jim Collins who wrote “Good to Great” identified, accidental.  Neglecting to actively foster the right collaborative, execution-focused culture during periods of rapid growth often leads to misalignment, confusion, and a decline in employee engagement.  Medium and long-term this mutes your company’s performance and in turn valuation.

• Tolerating Toxic Behaviors for Short-Term Results – Sometimes, high-performing individuals or teams are excused for toxic behaviors because they deliver results.  As leaders, we are reluctant to move these people out of the company due to their outsized, productive impact.  We bury our heads in the sand or look the other way, hoping it will get better, but deep down we know it won’t.  Tolerating this toxicity for the sake of short-term wins erodes trust, decreases collaboration, and crushes morale. Over time, this approach damages the broader culture, making it harder to sustain high performance and retain top talent.

• Failing to Communicate Values and Expectations – Even with the best intentions, culture cannot thrive if values and expectations are not communicated clearly and consistently. Additionally and equally as important, leadership must visibly live the core values, reinforce in meetings and 1/1s, and hire/fire/promote based on core value alignment.  Employees need to not only understand but visibly observe what behaviors are expected, how decisions are made, and what the organization stands for. Without clear communication, people may feel disconnected, uncertain, or unmotivated, leading to inconsistent performance and a fragmented culture.

Best Practices

• Be Intentional – What is the culture you want to have?  How does it tie to performance for the organization?  How does collaboration and execution factor into your culture?  What will you do to live and reinforce it?  How will you own it?  Culture is there whether you are intentional or not.  Be intentional so you can build and sustain the culture that you want that drives your business.  Answer those questions above and regularly check to make sure you, and your team, are remaining intentional with your culture.

• Define and Reinforce Core Values – Start by clearly discovering and in turn articulating the core values that define your organization’s identity.   These values, including ones being focused on collaboration and execution, should reflect the behaviors and attitudes you want to see in every team member and frankly that you will model day in and day out.  Reinforce them in hiring, onboarding, decision-making, and daily interactions. When values are consistently lived and celebrated, they become the foundation of a strong, unified culture.

• Lead by Example and Reward Positive Behaviors – Leaders must model the culture they wish to create. Employees look to their leaders for cues on how to behave, so it’s crucial that those in leadership positions embody collaboration, kindness, and execution. Recognize and reward individuals who exemplify these values, reinforcing the importance of positive behavior and setting a standard for the entire organization.

• Foster Open Communication and Psychological Safety – Encourage open dialogue at all levels of the organization. This starts with you – modeling vulnerability day in and day out.  Additionally, create channels for feedback, listen actively, and ensure that employees feel safe to voice concerns or ideas without fear of retribution. Psychological safety is essential for innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Measure Progress and Adjust as Needed – Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) related to culture, such as employee satisfaction, retention rates, team collaboration scores and execution performance. Regularly assess progress and be willing to adjust strategies if certain aspects of the culture are not improving. Tracking these metrics helps ensure that your efforts are effective and that the culture continues to evolve in the right direction.

• Be Kind – Always.  Kindness is the cornerstone of a healthy culture. Every organization is a collection of people with their own experiences, life challenges, perspectives, and beliefs.  Kindness costs nothing and is one of the most powerful ways to build a strong culture.  When you are kind, you show respect for others.  When you are not, even if it is only one time out of a thousand, you damage your culture. You can still hold people accountable while being kind. Show that you respect them as another soul on this earth, and in turn your relationship will be stronger, and overall performance will be higher.    Remember, everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about, so be kind.

Creating a performance-driven culture centered on collaboration, kindness, and execution is a continuous, intentional process. Avoid the pitfalls of neglecting culture as you scale, tolerating toxic behaviors, and failing to communicate values and expectations. Instead, focus on defining and reinforcing core values, leading by example, fostering open communication, measuring progress, and supporting social connections. By prioritizing these best practices, you can build a culture that not only drives results but also attracts and retains top talent, ensuring long-term success for your organization.