If you’re reading this podcast, it’s clear that you care about your workplace culture. But there’s a big difference between caring about it and knowing how to actively build it every single day. Much like any personal goal—whether it’s weight loss, learning a new skill, or getting stronger—the key to success in culture-building is consistency. It’s the small things, done daily, that make the biggest impact.

So today, I’m sharing a roadmap for simple, everyday habits that will strengthen your workplace culture. Let’s dive in!

The Power of Consistency in Culture-Building

Today, I’m teaching you a framework for day-to-day culture-building. But before we get into the how-to, let’s start with a solid definition of workplace culture.

I recently came across a super simple definition that I’m adopting: Workplace culture is defined by the behaviors you celebrate and the behaviors you tolerate. Makes sense, right? Every group of people, whether a family, a team, or a company, has an inherent culture, whether they’re aware of it or not.

Think about your family for a second. If I tolerated laziness from my kids and treated basic manners and respect like big accomplishments, imagine how chaotic our house would be! The same goes for your workplace. A healthy culture is always being built up or eroding—it doesn’t sit still, waiting for the right time to change. It’s constantly moving, one way or another.

Small Habits, Big Impact

I love to use personal examples to drive home points. Let me tell you about a shift I made this past January. Like most of the world, I set New Year’s resolutions, but this time I focused on one thing: consistency. I didn’t focus on outcomes, like losing weight, drinking more water, or reading more books. Instead, I focused on simple habits. And can I just say? I’m crushing it.

Here’s why: if my goal had been the outcomes, I would have easily gotten frustrated. But focusing on consistency, I’ve been able to stick with my new habits. One of my goals was to get up and go for a walk and do a quick workout before my kids wake up. And I’m NOT a morning person, like REALLY not a morning person. But just the habit of getting up and getting outside is a big deal for me. Sure, I miss some days—whether because I’m sick or it's pouring rain—but that's okay. Small habits are easy to pick back up the next day (or week).

When you think about improving your workplace culture, it’s easy to get tempted to think of “arriving” as the goal. But what if the goal was the consistent habits that, over time, would lead to big culture outcomes? Small habits, done consistently, drive transformation.

James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, says small, consistent actions matter more than big, one-time efforts. Culture isn’t built overnight; it’s built through habits. Whether you’re starting fresh or restarting, it’s never too late.

Overcoming Barriers to Culture Habit Building

There are a few common barriers that often derail us when it comes to building habits for a thriving culture. Let’s look at three:

1. The All-or-Nothing Trap – This is the temptation to change everything at once. If I set the goal to run 3 miles every day, I’d likely burn out quickly. Small, easy steps are key. Start simple and build from there.

2. Falling Off the Wagon – It’s easy to get discouraged when we miss a day (or a few). But culture is shaped by what happens consistently, not occasionally. If you fall off track, just get back on without guilt or hesitation.

3. Delayed Results – Like fitness, culture-building results don’t come immediately. The win is in the system itself, not just the end result. Patience is necessary, but the rewards will come in time.

Creating Habits to Build Culture

Now that we understand workplace culture and the importance of small habits, let’s talk about how to establish those habits. I’m going to use the four laws of behavior change from Atomic Habits to frame this out for us.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to creating a thriving workplace culture. Each team and leader will implement these principles differently, but this framework is a great place to start. Grab something to write with, or come back to this post later, and let’s walk through this together.

1. Make it Obvious

Create a cue that reminds you to build culture. Your life is busy, so tie culture-building actions to habits that already exist in your daily routine. For example, I keep my sneakers and AirPods by my bed. When I see them, it cues me to go for my walk.

In the workplace, think about the regular meetings or rituals you already have. Do you have a team meeting? Great! The meeting can be your cue to do something intentional for culture. For example, dedicate the first 10 minutes of the meeting to team connection. It’s a huge missed opportunity not to build culture when everyone is already gathered. If you are unsure how to do this, grab the free ultimate meeting kick off guide!

2. Make it Attractive

We all know the feeling of rewarding ourselves after completing something difficult or even something we don’t want to do. That anticipation of the reward motivates us.

If culture-building feels like a lot of “people-ing” and you’re more introverted, make it attractive by rewarding yourself with a small treat. For example, after your one-on-ones with team members, give yourself a break and enjoy a solo lunch or a walk. The dopamine hit you get after completing the habit will continue to fuel your motivation for future actions.

3. Make it Easy

Make culture-building habits easy to accomplish. Don’t start with major overhauls like revamping your entire performance review system. Start small and simple—maybe it’s writing one thank-you note per week or asking one team member for their opinion every day. You could even celebrate birthdays by prompting the team to list something they appreciate about the person. Keep it simple, so the barrier to entry is low.

4. Make it Satisfying

You know what feels satisfying? Looking back and seeing how far you’ve come. For me, tracking how many days I’ve consistently walked is incredibly satisfying. Similarly, look back at the culture you’re building—celebrate the wins, however small. Seeing growth and improvement will reinforce your new habits and encourage you to keep going.

Start Small and Build Consistently

So, here’s the challenge: pick one small habit today and commit to it for 30 days. What’s going to be your first habit? If you’re watching on YouTube, drop your new habit in the comments, or shoot me an email to share. I can’t wait to hear what you’re committing to!

Thanks for being here today. I hope this has been helpful for you. Remember, I’m cheering you on as you build a thriving, empowered culture in your workplace. Until next time!