“Company culture is what happens when no one’s watching, not what’s printed on the wall.”
Most organisations have experienced the “culture refresh.” A polished message from leadership, a new set of values, maybe a slogan or two. For a brief moment, it feels meaningful. Then the posters fade, the language becomes ironic, and day-to-day behaviour stays exactly the same.
That’s because culture isn’t a campaign. It’s a consequence.
The Illusion of Culture by Design
Too often, culture is treated like an internal branding exercise. Values are defined in workshops, packaged neatly, and launched with enthusiasm. But culture doesn’t live in presentations or handbooks. It lives in everyday decisions, what gets rewarded, what gets ignored, and what gets tolerated.
If the reality of work doesn’t match the words, you’re not building culture. You’re managing appearances.
Why Buzzwords Don’t Work
Words like integrity, innovation, and collaboration sound impressive, but on their own, they mean nothing. Without clear behaviours behind them, they become invisible.
A company that claims integrity but cuts corners under pressure is showing its real culture. One that says it values innovation but punishes failure is doing the same. Culture isn’t what you aspire to, it’s what you allow.
A Lesson from Real Values
Early in my career at American Express, the company lived by a small set of principles known as the “Blue Box Values.” What made them powerful wasn’t the wording; it was consistency. People measured their decisions against those values every day, and leaders modelled them visibly.
They weren’t a project or a slogan. They were simply how work was done, and that’s why they stuck.
The Inconvenience Test
The clearest way to see your real culture is to watch what happens when values become inconvenient.
You prioritise people – until revenue dips.
You encourage risk – until something fails.
You value diversity – until it slows hiring.
Values only become real when they cost you something. That’s when culture shows itself.
Building a Culture That Lasts
If you want culture to stick, focus on actions, not aesthetics:
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Define behaviours, not buzzwords. What does integrity look like when deadlines are tight?
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Reward what you want repeated. Recognition shapes behaviour more than any statement.
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Let teams interpret values locally. Culture lives in context, not corporate language.
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Hold leaders accountable. Culture without consequence is just decoration.
Final Thought
The strongest cultures aren’t the loudest. They’re the ones you see in decisions, promotions, and difficult conversations, without needing reminders.
At Vani Malik Consulting, we believe culture isn’t a set of words to remember. It’s a set of choices to repeat.
The clarity cue: if you have to keep reminding people of your values, they’re not living them, they’re memorising them.
