Insights
Culture is the quiet force we take for granted.
Oxygen for the organization.
Undervalued and underutilized.
But vital to survival and performance.
Can you perform at your peak if you are sick?
No.
Cultivating culture is common sense, but not common practice.
Let’s change that.
Tap into culture to help you perform, compete and win.
Culture Killer #5: Inconsistency - Diminishing Trust One Signal at a Time
When words say one thing but actions show another, trust doesn’t just slip—it breaks.
Inconsistency is rarely loud, but it’s always noticed. A leader who preaches transparency but shuts down dissent. A company that celebrates bold ideas, then punishes failure. A promise of “people first,” followed by budget cuts to development.
Inconsistency erodes credibility, stalls momentum, and quietly kills performance.
So why is it so common and what can be done about it?
Read on to find out—and learn the three critical treatments every organization needs.
Culture Killer #4: Toxic Positivity - Why Avoiding Hard Truths Holds Us Back
Culture Killer #4: Toxic Positivity
At first glance, positivity feels like a strength. But when it’s used to sidestep tension, silence dissent, or avoid tough conversations, it becomes something else entirely. What looks like optimism can actually be avoidance—masking real issues that need to be addressed. Over time, this well-intentioned denial doesn’t lift people up—it wears them down.
Toxic positivity shows up subtly: in the pressure to stay upbeat, the dismissal of valid concerns, or the silencing of discomfort in the name of morale. It’s common, it's costly, and it often flies under the radar.
Read more to learn what drives it and what can organizations do about it.
Culture Killer #3: Tribalism - Why “Us vs. Them” Is a Losing Strategy
When teams protect turf instead of progress, culture suffers—and so does performance.
Microsoft’s now-famous cartoon org chart said it all: departments pointing weapons at each other. Tribalism cost them innovation and presented an existential threat.
Why should you care? It’s not just a tech company problem—it’s everywhere.
What causes it? What does it look like? And how do strong leaders shut it down?
Read on to find out—and learn the three critical treatments every organization needs.
Culture Killer #2: Bureaucracy - The Quiet Killer of Productivity
It doesn’t always announce itself—but you’ll feel it. The stalled decisions. The endless forms. The talent that quietly walks out the door.
Bureaucracy is the quiet killer of engagement and productivity. It hides behind policies and processes that feel safe but slowly suffocate progress.
So why does it stick around? And more importantly—how do you root it out?
Read on for real-world signals, root causes, and how to shift from red tape to real impact.
Culture Killer #1: Ambiguity - The Fog That Disorients Strategic Delivery
Imagine playing a game without knowing the rules. That’s what workplace ambiguity feels like—and the cost is steep.
When expectations are fuzzy and direction is unclear, people spin. Focus fades. Risk rises. Performance stalls.
Ambiguity doesn’t just frustrate—it triggers a threat response in the brain.
Want to clear the fog and unlock clarity, trust, and momentum?
Read on to uncover the hidden costs of ambiguity—and how to fix it before it derails your strategy.
Culture Killers: The Organizational Threat No One Talks About
Organizations rarely fall in a blaze—they erode in silence.
Subtle behaviors. Unspoken norms. Everyday habits that slowly drain trust, stall execution, and push top talent out the door.
This series names the common culprits—seven culture killers that quietly sabotage performance from within.
You’ve seen them. You might be tolerating them.