Most practices have core values. They may be written on the website, discussed during onboarding, or posted somewhere in the office. Something like: We value teamwork. We put patients first. We communicate with respect. We take ownership.
But your team doesn’t learn your culture by reading your values. They learn it by watching what happens when someone doesn’t live up to them.
The employee who is chronically late, but no one addresses it. The high producer who gets results but stirs up drama. The manager who avoids difficult conversations and lets problems linger. The longtime employee who refuses to follow a new process because “that’s not how we’ve always done it.”
When those behaviors go unaddressed, they become the culture, regardless of what your values say.
I came across a leadership question recently that has stayed with me: Why do we sometimes delay acting even after we already know something isn’t working?
Two reasons came up: sunk cost and ego. We’ve invested time and money hiring and training someone, and acknowledging it isn’t working can feel like admitting we made the wrong decision. So, we wait. Another month. Another quarter. Another chance.
I’d add a third reason I see consistently in practices: avoidance. And I’ll be honest, it’s something I have to consciously work on myself.
We know the conversation will be uncomfortable, so we convince ourselves the issue isn’t serious enough yet. We hope the employee will recognize the problem on their own. We tell ourselves we’ll address it if it happens again.
Meanwhile, your team is watching. They see who arrives late without consequence. They see who is allowed to speak disrespectfully. They see who follows the process and who doesn’t have to. They see the high performer held to a different standard because losing them would be inconvenient.
Every time a leader chooses not to address behavior that contradicts stated expectations, the team learns something about what the real expectations are.
That doesn’t mean every mistake requires disciplinary action. People deserve coaching, context, and a genuine opportunity to improve. But there is a difference between giving someone an opportunity to improve and repeatedly lowering the standard to accommodate them.
Strong cultures aren’t built by demanding perfection. They’re built by creating clear expectations and consistently enforcing them, even when it’s uncomfortable.
Ask yourself:
Choose one conversation you’ve been putting off and have it. It will be hard. Do it anyway. Your culture depends on it.
In Your Corner,
Amy
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