Welcome Back, Readers!

I trust your summer was both restful and invigorating. As for me, my plans for a leisurely retirement—filled with Caribbean beaches, gardening and whitewater canoeing—quickly gave way to a whirlwind of work. Instead of basking in the sun, I found myself immersed in coaching clients, delivering keynote speeches, leading leadership workshops and refining my on-the-field soccer coaching skills. My schedule has been more packed than ever, and I couldn’t be more energized.

This summer, two particularly compelling projects drew my attention. Both involved assisting higher education institutions in revitalizing their high-performance cultures. In one role, I stepped into the realm of search consulting, helping to identify potential leadership while simultaneously mentoring emerging leaders within the team. Witnessing their growth towards a high-performance culture was truly exhilarating. At another institution, I collaborated with an existing leader to re-establish the core principles that would propel their team to new heights.

In both cases, the underlying issues were systemic, deeply ingrained in practices that perpetuated mediocrity.

Hard conversations were necessary, and we had to press the reset button to get these teams back on track. I'm pleased to report that both organizations are now moving in a promising direction.

These experiences underscored a critical realization: the challenges these institutions faced were not due to a lack of talent but a lack of focus on culture.

In today’s fast-paced world, the allure of hiring talent that can deliver immediate results is strong. I've been guilty of this myself. It's tempting to pick individuals who require little guidance, believing it will free up time for other priorities. However, this approach can have unintended consequences.

Neglecting culture in favor of talent alone can create dysfunction, negatively impacting quality and productivity across the organization.

When I speak of ‘culture,’ I’m referring to the collective personality of the group—those unwritten rules, norms and behaviors that become ingrained over time and are tacitly endorsed by both peers and leadership. This is not about the values painted on office walls or emblazoned across website banners. Too often, these publicized values are mere decoration, lacking true embodiment by the team. Instead, culture is manifested in the daily actions and interactions that define who we are. For example, in one organization, every meeting began five minutes after the hour—an accepted norm that initially baffled me but was simply ‘the way things were done.’ Similarly, during my time in Halifax, I quickly adapted to the local custom of pedestrians ruling the streets, a stark contrast to Toronto. These examples illustrate how we assimilate into organizational cultures, often without even realizing it.

Culture is paramount, and it must be deliberately chosen and cultivated if we are to build high-performing teams.

Establishing a High-Performance Culture: Three Proven Steps

1. Diagnose the Problem: When I began consulting with one of the institutions, my first task was to determine whether the performance issues stemmed from a lack of talent or an eroded culture. Through in-depth conversations with each team member, the answer became clear: culture was the culprit. The behaviors and actions that leaders endorse—or ignore—send powerful signals about what is acceptable. It’s imperative to clearly define and exemplify the behaviors we want to see, praising them when they occur and addressing issues early to reinforce the desired culture.
2. Set Non-Negotiables from Day One: When hiring or recruiting for your team, be unwavering in your commitment to your core values. This may make it more challenging to find the right candidates initially, but it will pay dividends in retention and long-term performance. Research supports the idea that alignment of values and purpose leads to increased performance. Don’t be swayed by the allure of talent alone. If you notice valued employees leaving after a new hire or leadership change, take a hard look at whether the new individual is disrupting your culture. High performance leaders must initiate crucial conversations that hold members accountable.
3. Align Words with Actions: Leaders must ensure that their actions consistently reflect their stated priorities. For example, if you claim to value teamwork and collegiality but consistently reward individualism, you are undermining your culture. If you say your top priority is working from the office but you assign the most important work to someone you’ve allowed to work from home, your team will notice what you truly value. A mismatch between what you say and what you do breeds frustration and erodes morale. If closing deals is your top priority, make that clear from the outset—just ensure that your actions and policies align with this priority. Attracting talent under the guise of one culture only to deliver another is a recipe for trouble.

Today’s message is not about creating a feel-good, kumbaya workplace. It’s about recognizing that high-performing teams are built on the foundation of a carefully crafted and nurtured culture where every member has the opportunity to excel.

Supporting Research:

A landmark study conducted by the Harvard Business School supports this premise. The research found that companies with strong, well-defined cultures significantly outperformed their peers in terms of revenue growth, employee satisfaction and retention. These organizations understood that while talent is important, it is the alignment of values and the cultivation of a shared culture that truly drives long-term success. As the study concludes, "A well-defined culture not only enhances organizational performance but also provides a sustainable competitive advantage."

As leaders, our responsibility is to create and sustain a culture that enables our teams to thrive. Culture is this foundation, more than any individual talent, that will propel our organizations to new heights.