How often have we seen companies flaunt their “culture” on slides—but struggle to live it out in the halls? Culture isn’t built by fancy decks. It’s shaped, breathed, and felt in the everyday. Let’s explore what happens when companies stop just talking about values—and start living them.
Why Culture Can’t Be Trapped in a Deck
Culture decks used to be the trend. One bold slide after another, packed with values, beliefs, and promises. But over time, people stopped reading them.
What happened? They felt... hollow.
Because culture can’t be written once and expected to stick.
● Slides fade. Behavior doesn’t.
● Values that live only on paper rarely survive decisions.
● People notice when there’s a gap between what’s said and what’s done.
True culture shows up in:
● How leaders behave under pressure
● Who gets promoted—and why
● What gets tolerated vs. what gets called out
And none of that comes from a deck.
From Culture Decks to Culture Labs
Values are not marketing material. They’re experiments in progress.
Culture Labs aren’t literal science labs. They’re environments where values are tested—in real time, by real people. Think of it as moving from “Here’s what we believe” to “Let’s see how we behave.”
What Makes a Culture Lab Real?
● Cross-team feedback loops: Listening from all levels, not just the top
● Safe space for friction: Not all values agree—some push back
● Leadership vulnerability: Culture shifts when leaders admit they don’t have all the answers
Labs aren't perfect. They're messy. But that’s where honesty begins.
Micro-Moments Shape Macro Culture
Culture isn’t built in town halls or big campaigns. It shows up in hallway chats, in 1:1s, in the “Hey, do you have a minute?”
A single decision—like how a missed deadline is handled—can say more than 20 posters combined.
Watch for culture in:
● How feedback is given
● Who gets to speak in meetings
● What’s celebrated publicly
● Who walks away quietly
Every moment tells a story. Some reinforce your culture. Some quietly erode it.
Living Culture Is Uncomfortable—And That’s the Point
Living values means choosing tension over ease.
You might:
● Call out behavior that’s “not us”—even if it’s from a top performer
● Revisit benefits when they don't align with equity
● Redesign hiring to reflect your real mission, not just the fastest hires
It’s not glamorous. But it’s real. And over time, the discomfort becomes trust.
Conclusion
Culture isn’t a keynote. It’s what happens when no one’s watching. And the companies that thrive? They don’t just write values. They test them. They break them. They rework them. Again and again.
So maybe don’t build another deck. Build a lab. See what sticks. See what shifts.