Colonel's Culture Compilation Volume 23 (October 2026)
COL. (R) Tony McConnell’s practical take on leadership and workplace culture, with reflections, questions, and selected resources to help leaders build workplaces where people want to stay, grow, and contribute.
Culture Starts with What Leaders Do
Your people learn what matters by watching what you do.
Last month, I discussed how leaders initiate cultural change. This month, I want to refocus on our own actions. I recently read that employees watch their leaders’ behavior seven times more closely than their peers’. We can describe the culture we want, but we must also ask whether our actions reinforce it.
Think about the last time an employee brought you a problem. Did you listen, ask questions, and help them work through it? Or did you get frustrated and take over? Whatever your intention, they learned something about bringing problems to you.
The same applies when someone offers an idea, questions a decision, or makes a mistake. Our responses help determine whether people speak up, take ownership, and keep trying.
The Center for Creative Leadership describes how repeated leadership behaviors become patterns within an organization’s culture. That is a good reason to pay attention to our everyday habits.
At IWI, we focus on Six Key Culture Components. Our actions as leaders affect each one:
Leadership: We give people direction and demonstrate the standards we expect.
Feedback: We make room for honest conversations and show that we can receive feedback, too.
Recognition: We notice good work and explain why it matters.
Growth: We give people opportunities to learn, make decisions, and work through challenges.
Compensation: We handle pay decisions consistently and communicate what we can about how those decisions are made.
Balance: We set realistic priorities and consider the demands we place on people.
These are responsibilities we need to practice consistently, including when we are busy or things are not going well.
Through our IWI Leadership System, we discuss Lead, Manage, and Accountability. Before deciding that someone has an accountability problem, we should examine whether we have provided clear expectations and the support needed to succeed.
Did we agree on the outcome? Did they have enough time and the right tools? Did they understand which decisions they could make? Have we followed up?
Sometimes the employee needs to do something differently. Sometimes we do. We should be willing to consider both.
This matters as organizations introduce new technology and change how work gets done. Gallup’s recent research on AI adoption reinforces the importance of clear expectations and active manager support. People need more than access to a tool; they need help understanding how it fits their work.
The same leadership work applies to a new process, a staffing change, or a shift in priorities. We need to explain, listen, and follow through.
Reflection Question:
If my employees described our culture using only my actions from the past week, what would they say?
For the next 30 days, pick one leadership behavior to improve. Listen longer before responding. Clarify an expectation. Recognize a contribution. Follow up on a concern you have left unanswered. Then ask someone you lead whether they have noticed a difference. Be willing to hear their answer.
The following resources offer practical perspectives on how everyday leadership shapes culture:
Identifying Your Organization’s Type of Leadership Culture — Center for Creative Leadership
Explores how leaders’ beliefs, decisions, and repeated behaviors become organizational practices. Consider where your leadership encourages ownership and where it may create dependence.
How Leaders Can Improve Employee Engagement and Culture — Gallup
Connects the employee experience with manager development, clear expectations, feedback, and coaching. A useful reminder that developing leaders requires ongoing practice.
Employee Engagement Remains Flat as AI Adoption Accelerates — Gallup
Examines the role of manager support and communication as AI becomes part of daily work. The leadership question is how well we are helping people understand and navigate the change.
The Case for LMA — EOS Worldwide
Explains the connection between leadership, management, and accountability. Use it to examine what you are providing your team before asking for better follow-through.