Culture Isn't Built In Quarterly Pep Rallies

I’ve lost count of how many executives boast about their “great culture” because they host quarterly or semi‑annual award ceremonies. Just recently, I heard a CEO say those events were his favorite part of leading the company because they were “so meaningful” to the culture.

All I could think was: Wow… if only culture were that easy.

A workplace culture isn’t something you sprinkle onto an organization a few times a year like powdered sugar. And it sure isn’t created by applauding the same handful of employees every time or by spotlighting whoever is currently in leadership’s good graces. Those feel‑good gatherings often reveal more about internal politics than genuine appreciation—and politics is the fastest way to poison culture, not build it.

The irony? The executives who cling tightly to those ceremonies as “culture builders” are often the ones most disconnected from the day‑to‑day realities of the frontline teams actually doing the work.

Real culture isn’t an event.

It’s a daily experience.

Culture Lives in the Small Moments—Not the Stage Lights

Culture forms through shared norms, beliefs, values, and behaviors that are lived out consistently. It grows through the subtle, usually unnoticed interactions that happen from 8:00 a.m. until quitting time—and beyond.

A real culture is built when:

• Someone gets a sincere thank‑you in the moment, not months later on a stage.

• Leaders consistently show respect, humility, and fairness.

• Colleagues look out for one another because they genuinely care—not because HR pushed a new “engagement initiative.”

• Values aren’t wall art—they’re practiced behaviors.

  
  

It’s shocking how many executives talk endlessly about what they want their culture to be, only to behave in ways that contradict those very values. You cannot preach humility on Monday and bulldoze employees on Tuesday. Culture mirrors leadership behavior—not leadership aspirations.

A $50 Bingo Prize Isn’t Culture—It’s an Insult

Over a decade ago, my wife worked for a small company owned by a multimillionaire who truly believed he was creating a “family culture.” Every Christmas, he invited employees to his home, and at the end of the night, they played bingo for a $50 prize.

He and his son didn’t play—they called the numbers.

They genuinely believed this was generous.

I always found it demeaning. Nothing says “we’re not equals” like watching the wealthy leaders take pleasure in a room full of employees scrambling over pocket change. That’s not culture; it’s theater. And it’s the kind of theater that diminishes trust rather than strengthens it.

If You Want Culture, Live It—Relentlessly

If leaders want a strong culture, the formula isn’t complicated—but it requires humility, consistency, and discipline.

• Be a good person first. You can’t be a great leader if your character is questionable.

• Live the values every second of every day. Culture collapses wherever leaders become exempt from the rules.

• Teach the culture constantly. Connect everyday decisions to the collective norms and behaviors you expect.

• Praise freely, criticize sparingly. Treat mistakes as learning, not ammunition.

• Recognize wins immediately. Not at the next corporate “celebration.”

• Stop playing favorites. Culture erodes the second employees realize performance matters less than politics.

• Assume positive intent. Most people are doing their best. Treat them that way.

  
  

Culture is built through repetition, not ceremony. Through daily example, not quarterly applause. Through fairness, not favoritism.

Culture Isn’t Complicated—But It Is Consistent

Organizations keep trying to engineer culture through pizza parties, swag boxes, and employee‑of‑the‑quarter awards. These efforts aren’t malicious—but they’re misguided. They create noise, not meaning. They distract leaders from the real work of culture: the unglamorous, unadvertised actions that happen when nobody is watching.

Executives who truly want a positive, cohesive culture must be willing to put in the slow, patient, everyday work. They must build relationships, demonstrate empathy, and understand the people who keep their organization alive.

Culture isn’t a celebration.

It’s a commitment.

Skip the staged popularity contests and abandon the assumption that culture can be outsourced to HR events. Instead, focus on the small, consistent, human actions that actually move the needle.

Because the truth is simple: Culture isn’t created in the spotlight—it’s created in the shadows of everyday leadership.

Dr. Neal McIntyre, DPA