How to set a culture
The Leadership Triad: Authority, Majority, and Policy
Too many leaders think that publishing a policy is the same thing as changing a culture. It isn't.
True organizational norms are driven by two forces: the majority and authority. Policies are just the paperwork. Long-lasting success only happens when all three meet.
Think about standard "values" initiatives. An organization spends weeks drafting a dense strategic plan, but a month later, nobody can recall the core tenets. Why? Because the policy doesn't reflect reality.
To bridge the gap between policy and daily practice, effective leaders focus on three things:
Clarity over Complexity: Keep guidelines short, direct, and easy to digest.
Democracy in Design: Ensure the policy genuinely reflects the views and habits of the majority of your team.
Active Stewardship: Leadership must actively embody and remind the team of these norms—not just during onboarding, but every week.
Culture is a Living Organism
Alignment isn't a static achievement. Leaders must keep a pulse on both internal shifts (like changing team demographics and generational dynamics) and external disruptions (like the rapid integration of AI tools).
When your environment changes, your norms must adapt.
The best leadership teams don't just write policies: they build ecosystems where authority reinforces the majority, and the majority trusts the authority. Everything has to work together.
