Culture Reflects Leadership Behaviors, Not Company Values
When people think about workplace culture, they often envision glossy posters of company values lining office walls. Words like “Integrity”, “Collaboration”, and “Innovation” are meant to convey what the organization stands for.
However, the lived experience of employees in a specific facility or department often has little to do with these aspirational values. Instead, the culture takes on the personality of the most dominant individual or the person with the highest title, a reality that is as fascinating as it is critical to understand.
The Power of Proximity
Culture is shaped by proximity more than policy. Employees don’t interact with a set of company values; they interact with people, particularly those in positions of power.
A leader’s tone, actions, and decision-making style ripple outward, influencing how others behave. If the plant manager values efficiency above all else, employees may adopt a “get-it-done-at-all-costs” mindset, even if the corporate handbook preaches work-life balance.
Dominance vs. Title: Who Sets the Tone?
While it’s easy to assume that the highest-ranking person always dictates culture, that’s not always the case. In some facilities, a strong-willed supervisor or a highly influential employee can wield more cultural authority than a disengaged general manager. Leadership is not always about title; it’s about presence, communication, and the ability to set norms—intentionally or unintentionally.
Why Corporate Values Often Fail to Filter Down
Disconnect Between Levels: Corporate leaders may establish values with the best intentions, but without reinforcement at every level, these values often fade into background noise. If middle and frontline managers don’t model these principles, they don’t stand a chance of shaping daily operations.
Leadership Gaps: If a facility leader is inconsistent, unclear, or disengaged, employees may default to informal norms set by the most assertive personalities.
Misalignment of Incentives: Employees often prioritize what they believe will lead to recognition or job security. If a dominant leader rewards compliance, speed, or loyalty over creativity or ethics, those traits will define the culture, regardless of corporate values.
Real-World Implications
The gap between company values and culture can have profound implications:
Turnover and Retention - When an employee leaves a company, especially if it is due to a poor relationship with a leader, it is often the Company’s name that gets trashed. Company reputations are a conversation piece, for better or worse. A great culture is a great recruiting tool.
Safety and Compliance - In facilities where dominant leaders push for production at the expense of safety, the results can be disastrous. The official policies may advocate for a “safety-first” mindset, but the dominant culture tells a different story.
Engagement and Performance - A leader’s behavior and communication style influences whether employees feel empowered, micromanaged, or ignored. This is the value of leader self-awareness. Most leaders do not see themselves as anything other than effective and this is not always true.
Shaping Culture from the Top Down—And the Bottom Up
To align facility culture with company values, leaders should understand, the culture is shaped by them, not the Company values. Here are some strategies to consider:
Hire for Leadership Behaviors and Heart, Not Just Experience – Resumes and experience tell us what a person has done in the past, not what they can do in the future. Also, we do not know if they were a Participant or a Practitioner in the duties. There is a big difference between the two concepts. Evaluate leadership candidates for cultural alignment, emotional intelligence, and communication skills, not just technical expertise. Behavioral insights from The Predictive Index is the best tool I’ve seen in making this determination.
Research by Schmidt and Hunter (1998) on predictors of success emphasizes the importance of general cognitive ability (GCA) and structured interviews. Beyond these, organizations must prioritize traits that reflect values of the heart: honesty, empathy, doing what is right, and putting others first. Leaders with these qualities are more likely to reinforce organizational principles and foster cultures aligned with company values.
Hire and Model the Behavior You Want to See - Leadership isn’t a “do as I say, not as I do” affair. Leaders, at all levels must consistently demonstrate the values they expect others to uphold. Every leadership hire is either a cultural fit or a cultural addition. We get in trouble when we intend to hire a cultural fit only to learn several months down the road, we hired a cultural addition.
Empower Mid-Level Managers - Mid-level Manager and Supervisors are the heartbeat of a company. Equip them with training and resources that make them better and reinforce company values. Here is a great report about the State of Middle Manager.
Conduct Regular Cultural Audits – Results of “Engagement or Employee Opinion Surveys” are like gold. Additional activities like focus groups and skip level interviews will also provide real insights and identify gaps between “what you want your culture” to be and the reality of what your employees believe you are.
Address Dominance Wisely - If a dominant personality is misaligning the culture, leaders must intervene quickly with grace and truth. According to Aubrey Daniels, only one thing changes poor behavior and that is effectively delivered consequences. Just to be clear, dominant can be a good thing if it aligns with Company values. It is specific to the leader.
Conclusion
Culture doesn’t live in slogans or mission statements; it lives in the day-to-day actions of the people who lead. While corporate values provide an essential compass, the culture of any facility will reflect the personality and priorities of its most influential figures. By understanding this dynamic, organizations can take intentional steps to ensure that leadership at every level embodies the principles they aspire to uphold.
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