Don't Just Say It — Signal It: 4 Ways Leaders Model Culture
Your team is always watching. What message are you actually sending?
Culture isn't built by town halls or team-building days. It's built by the everyday choices leaders make — and the messages those choices send.
If you say "trust," but micromanage… if you ask for feedback, but never act on it… your team notices. And that becomes your culture.
It takes leaders a long time to realize that they are public figures, even role models, within their organizations. Until that clicks, they run the risk of making the mistakes that I describe above. And it's not only the spoken ones but the unspoken ones, such as the leader who says we'll dismiss at noon on the eve of a holiday and then stays late. Your employees see it, and more than see it, they internalize it.
It took me a while to learn that I needed to walk the walk beyond talking the talk, which I believed I was very good at—multitasking at meetings, but asking my team to pay attention is not good modeling. But I don't feel bad as I was new and have seen this even with experienced leaders. Word of caution: multitasking in public has been made even worse thanks to technology. Think twice before pulling out your phone at a meeting.
Here are the four ways leaders model culture through their actions:
1. Trust → Delegation with Confidence
Signal trust by giving people room to own their work — and the space to fail safely.
My favorite leaders worked hard to ensure that their direct reports got the chance to interact with either board members or corporate leaders. At NBC I got to meet and present digital plans to the President of our division, while at Lehigh Valley Public Media, I would present to our Board of Directors. I appreciated those opportunities.
But here's what made it meaningful: these leaders didn't hover. They introduced me, provided context, then stepped back and let me own the conversation. They signaled trust not just by giving me the opportunity, but by resisting the urge to jump in and "help" when I paused to think or took the discussion in a direction they hadn't anticipated.
Contrast this with leaders who say they trust you, then require approval for every decision over $200, or who let you present to senior leadership but interrupt after two slides to "add context." The message your team receives isn't about your words—it's about your actions.
2. Feedback → Consistency and Openness
Do you ask for feedback and really listen? Do you give it promptly, kindly, and without an audience?
In large organizations, people hope for kind words from senior leaders but expect feedback from their managers and those above them. Failing to do that, or only doing that when it's something bad, often feels like leadership is out of touch with staff.
I don't recall many of the senior leaders that I reported to asking me for feedback about them, and perhaps even worse, they weren't great at giving me feedback either. This taught me to be more intentional about creating feedback loops.
I got into the habit during 1:1s of asking for feedback from people who reported to me:
Is there anything that I am doing that I should stop?
Is there anything that I am doing that I should do more of?
Is there anything I am not doing that I should start?
The key is asking these questions regularly, not just during annual reviews or when problems arise. Consistency signals that feedback is part of how you operate, not something you remember to do occasionally.
3. Ownership & Accountability → Take Responsibility First
When things go wrong, do you own your part — even before anyone points it out?
It's easy when you're a leader and things go great—you can stand up in front of your team and celebrate. I remember at NBC10 when the station became the number one station in the Philly market, there was an all-team meeting and celebration. The General Manager at the time stood before all of us and made a grand speech about effort and success, and when he was done, a photo was taken of everyone holding up one finger to signify being number one.
What do you think happened the following month when the station wasn't number one again? Did that same General Manager stand before everyone take responsibility for his role and share thoughts on what could have been done differently?
Nope. Taking responsibility is hard.
Your team watches how you handle failure just as closely as they watch how you handle success. When you own your mistakes first—before anyone has to point them out—you signal that accountability flows from the top down, not the other way around.
4. Shared Commitment → Show Up for the Hard Stuff
Whether it's an after-hours event, a tough transition, or a stretch project — are you visibly there, alongside the team?
I remember when one of my teams was in the midst of a particularly busy stretch, so a few of them decided to come in on a Saturday to try to catch up and possibly get ahead. After working for a few hours they were surprised to see our CEO standing at the entrance to their office.
"What, you all have nothing better to do?" he said.
They provided a brief explanation before he shuffled off.
Now I have little doubt that he was trying to be humorous, but they didn't find any humor in it, and the exchange left a bitter taste in their mouths until he finally apologized months later. For them, it was partially that he didn't know what was going on in his organization, and he didn't offer to help. His comment and shuffling away was a significant violation of shared commitment.
Showing up doesn't always mean working weekends alongside your team. But it does mean being present during the moments that matter—the tough conversations, the challenging projects, the times when your team needs to see that you're invested in the outcome too.
The Blind Spot Challenge
I've always been a fan of 360-degree reviews, but typically, organizations roll them out only when there is a problem. This means many senior leaders risk developing blind spots about the messages their behavior sends.
If you think you are such a leader, ask yourself "When was the last time you asked your team what messages your behavior actually sends?"
That gap between what you think you're communicating and what your team actually receives? It can be huge. The only way to close it is to ask, listen, and adjust accordingly.
Your culture is being built right now, in this moment, by the choices you make today. Make sure those choices are sending the message you actually want your team to receive.
What's one behavior you could change this week to better signal your values? Tell me about it—I read every response and often feature the best insights in future posts.
And if this resonated with you, share it with another leader who might benefit from examining the gap between their intentions and their signals.