“Organizational culture doesn’t come from words on the wall, but culture depends on what gets rewarded, what gets tolerated, and what gets quietly punished when nobody is watching the wall.” In this solo episode, Meg Rentschler explores why organizations often act against their stated values when under pressure. Meg defines culture through practices that are modeled and measured, offering coaches five diagnostic questions closely related to the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership. She shares a client story, along with a “Say-Do Audit” tool to identify whether company values are genuinely lived or simply fiction. Join us to learn more!

Show Highlights:

• A working definition of culture that makes sense
• See the gap and close the gap.
• Five questions and how they match with the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership:
• “What happened the last time someone on this team disagreed with a decision publicly?” (This aligns with “Enable others to ask questions.”)
• “What’s something everyone on this team knows is true, but no one says aloud?” (This exposes the “Model the way” failure.)
• “Regarding the last person promoted here, what behavior got them promoted?” (This is a “Challenge the process” question in disguise.)
• “When was the last time this team missed a deadline or made a mistake? What happened next?” (This tests the “Encourage the heart” practice.)
• “If a brand new employee shadowed this team for one week, what would they conclude actually matters here?” (This is an “Inspire to shared vision” check.)
• Client examples from Meg about innovation vs. compliance
• “Your highest value in organizational culture work is not as a mural painter but as a mirror.”
• How to use the “Say-Do Audit” of an organization’s stated values
• The key is to let the team recognize and sit with the gap before moving to action.

Resources:

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