Title: Are Leaders Really in Control of Culture? Author: Reyna Monson, President Date: July 13, 2026 Category: Leadership / Team Culture

If you’re a leader, you’ve probably heard some version of this advice: “One of your most important jobs is to create and maintain the culture of your organization.”

That’s true. As leaders, we have enormous influence over culture. We set core values. We hire people who fit those values. We reward the behaviors we want and hold people accountable for the behaviors we don’t. Most importantly, we model the culture ourselves.

In many ways, culture starts with leadership.

But here’s the uncomfortable question: Are leaders really in control of culture?

Years ago, we implemented a documentation system for our technical team. Up until that point, most of our client knowledge lived in our technicians’ heads. If a technician left, a lot of valuable information left with them.

I knew documentation was important. I knew it would make everyone’s jobs easier. I knew it was in the team’s best interest.

The team didn’t care. At least, not enough to change their behavior.

I talked about it constantly. I explained the benefits. I encouraged it. I tracked it. At one point, I even put a giant board in the tech room and assigned documentation goals to each technician. When they completed their assignment, they got to put a sticker on the board.

To be clear, I didn’t pick the stickers — they picked their own stickers.

The sticker board was surprisingly popular. The documentation process was not.

No matter what I tried, documentation remained something people did only when they absolutely had to. I couldn’t understand it. Part of me wondered if people were worried about becoming less valuable if they shared what they knew. Another part thought they simply hadn’t built the habit. Most likely, they couldn’t see the value because there wasn’t much information in the system yet.

And there wasn’t much information in the system because nobody was documenting anything. It was a perfect cycle.

Then something unexpected happened.

Two of our senior technicians decided documentation was a good idea. Suddenly, the conversation changed. They encouraged the team. They reminded people to document. They challenged teammates who weren’t doing it. They started saying things like: “You haven’t finished the ticket if you haven’t documented it.”

I remember thinking, “Great idea. I’ve only been saying that for nine months.”

But it worked. Today, we have so much documentation that it would take multiple reams of paper to print it all. More importantly, the team can’t imagine functioning without it.

The culture changed. Not because leadership found the perfect incentive. Not because leadership gave another speech. Not because leadership bought more stickers.

The culture changed because respected members of the team decided it should.

I still believe leaders are responsible for culture. But I’ve learned the hard way that responsibility and control are not the same thing. As a leader, you can set expectations. You can provide direction. You can reinforce behaviors. But some changes only become real when they are embraced and championed by the people doing the work.

One of my technicians recently introduced me to the idea of a “players’ meeting.” Apparently, it’s common in sports. The concept is simple: the team meets without leadership present. The goal is to solve problems that only the team can solve.

I’ll admit, the first reaction many leaders have is a little discomfort. “What are they saying in there?” But that’s exactly the point. There are conversations between peers that leadership can’t force. There is influence among teammates that no title can create.

Sometimes the best leadership move is to stop talking, leave the room, and let the team work it out.

So are leaders responsible for culture? Absolutely. But don’t confuse responsibility with control.