SixT60: Culture Starts with Leadership

A powerful culture is the foundation of any great organisation, and it always starts with leadership.

Recently, we worked with a great team to undertake a cultural audit and recommendations. A rare group, lucky to have found each other: driven, ambitious, and aligned in both their mindsets and their goals. They were a textbook example of “right bus, right seats” and were fully aware of the cost of their ticket. For them, the next step isn’t radical change but codifying their culture and making the small incremental improvements to ensure clarity, consistency, and long-term impact.

But here’s the thing: no cultural transformation, big or small, happens without a leader willing to drive it forward.

If you want to make 2025 the year your organisation transforms its culture into a competitive advantage, here are some questions to consider over the break:

1. Define the Culture You Want to See

You can't transform what you can't describe. Start by answering these questions:

• What do you want your organisation to be known for in 2025?
• How do your current values align with this vision?
• Is it clear and easy for your team to operationalise the organisation's values?
• Are there gaps between your aspirations and day to day reality?

Tip: Schedule a meeting with your leadership team to articulate your cultural vision. Be specific about the behaviors, rituals, and decisions that reflect your desired culture.

2. Codify, Don’t Overhaul

If your team is already aligned and performing well, the next step isn’t to reinvent the wheel but to formalise your culture. This might involve:

• Have you documented your company’s core values and how they show up in daily operations?
• Have you embedded your unique culture into your hiring, onboarding, and performance processes?
• Do you have a “culture playbook” to share with your teams and new starters to ensure consistency across teams.

Tip: Codifying culture is about clarity, not complexity. Use simple, actionable language to make it stick and once it’s alive and kicking, make sure it’s visible in daily operations.

3. Model the Change You Want to See

As a leader, your actions set the tone. Team members watch how you make decisions, handle challenges, and communicate. If your behavior contradicts your stated values, even unintentionally, it can undermine the culture you’re trying to build.

Ask Yourself:

• Am I demonstrating the values I expect from others?
• Do I seek feedback from my team about my impact on the culture?

Tip: Commit to small, consistent changes in how you lead, whether it’s clearer communication, showing appreciation more often, or being more transparent during tough decisions.Sometimes context is the missing piece of the puzzle.

A Final Thought: Change Starts with You

Leadership is the starting point of every cultural transformation. Whether you’re fine-tuning what’s already great or making foundational shifts, your willingness to lead by example make 2025 a transformative year for your organisation.

As part of the launch of Human in Your Corner we’re offering free access to our new Green Thread Leadership Portal. You’ll find space for peer networking, exclusive content and more. Green Thread is currently only available to clients but will launch fully in 2025 to support you with coaching, insights, and tools to help you lead with intention and impact.

To find out more and learn how to gain access comment 'Green Thread' below.