You Joined for the Company Culture—Now You’re Wondering What Changed (with Video)
You didn’t misread the signs. Great company, mission and culture– aligned with your values. The execs seemed to dig your human-centered approach– results AND relationships. Even the website said all the right things. And in new hire orientation, you sat there thinking, “Yes. These are my people.” “This is the company culture for me.”
Or maybe you’ve been around a while, and you’ve helped shape the company culture. You’ve hired, coached, and led in alignment with it. You believed in it.
Then something shifted.
New leadership stepped in. Or a big reorg hit. Or stress started creeping in from all corners. Suddenly, people began operating differently. The words on the wall didn’t match the behaviors in the meetings.
Now you’re asking yourself a very real question: “What is going on here? And, what does this mean for me and my team?”
This “friend’s” question is particularly poignant for me for several reasons. First, I’ve heard it from several humans I care about deeply recently— all in different circumstances. And yet, their pain, frustration, and choices feel are similar and familiar. I’ve personally faced this dilemma a few times in my career at Verizon. I learned a lot about navigating these shifts with integrity during those times. I also knew when it was time to leave and start a HUMAN-CENTERED leadership development company. If you’re new here, this is a bit of the back-story.
It’s hard because you care– about the humans on your team, your mission, your customers, and all you’ve invested.
It’s hard to see a great cultural unravelling.
3 Ways to Navigate a Company Culture That’s Not What It Used to Be
This is a complex and nuanced concern– and I’m no one can give you the answer in three bullet points. AND it’s a conversation we need to have, and I have been having with leaders at all levels across a wide range of organizations. So I’ll start in the conversation with a few thoughts.. and then I’d love to hear from you– either in the comments below or on LinkedIn.
Click on the image above to watch the video.
Gather Perpective
When culture shifts, it helps to pause before you panic. You need to know what you’re actually dealing with. So ask:
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Did something temporary shake things up?
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Are the values still here, just buried under short-term stress?
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Or has something fundamentally changed?
Put it on a continuum. Where is this shift on the scale from “just a blip” to “this is not okay”?
Then ask the harder question: What is this doing to me?
Are you feeling off? Resentful? Silenced?
Are you noticing that your leadership voice is quieter—or louder in ways that don’t feel like you?
Download FREE sample Chapters of our book, Courageous Cultures
When your work starts pulling you out of alignment with your core values, that’s not just uncomfortable. That’s unsustainable.
Say Something—With Care-Filled Words
You don’t walk into your boss’s office and say, “This culture’s trash now.” That’s not brave. That’s vague.
Instead, name what you’re seeing. Anchor it in specifics. Try something like:
“One of our values is transparency, right? Lately I’ve noticed more closed-door decisions, and people seem surprised by changes. Are you seeing that too?”
You don’t need to bring heat. Bring clarity. That opens a real conversation.
In Powerful Phrases for Dealing with Workplace Conflict, we call that starting with connection and curiosity—and there are twelve GOAT phrases to help you do just that.
And no, you don’t need to solve the whole thing in one conversation. But when you start grounded in values and ask for perspective, you shift from venting to influencing.
Stay Grounded in Your Values
This part? It matters most.
Culture can shift. Leaders can change. Values can get blurred in the fog of pressure. But you don’t have to go with it.
You get to choose how you lead. You get to model the culture you want, even if the broader organization has drifted.
Build your own cultural oasis. Treat your team with dignity. Stay kind and clear. Stay you.
Over the years, I’ve navigated more than a few culture earthquakes. Mergers. Restructures. The classic “this isn’t what it used to be” shift. One thing saved me every time: I kept revisiting my personal values and leadership operating norms. Every year. Without fail.
In fact, one values clash pushed me to start Let’s Grow Leaders. So… if you feel something cracking, pay attention. Sometimes, that’s the sign you’re being called to build something better.
This Might Be the Leadership Moment No One Prepares You For
You don’t find this moment on a competency model.
No one adds “navigates quiet cultural decay with grace” to your career development plan
What you do next for yoursel and your team could be one of those career defining moments. Choose wisely.
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