Three common leadership mistakes that derail culture transformation
By Sally Pritchett
CEO
These three leadership missteps are behind many stalled culture transformations – and they’re all avoidable.
Culture change isn’t something you can just tick off the to-do list. When done well, it creates a lasting shift that shapes how people think, act and work together. Yet too often, leaders unintentionally undermine the transformation they’re trying to lead.
Here are three common culture change mistakes – and how to avoid them:
1. Treating it like a one-off campaign
Culture isn’t a project with a start and finish date. It’s everyday actions, decisions, conversations, the way people treat one another. When leaders approach culture transformation as a time-limited initiative, complete with launch events, posters and slogans, momentum fades fast. People revert to old habits, and the “new culture” becomes a past-tense idea.
How to avoid it:
See culture change as a long-term commitment. Build it into business as usual. Keep reinforcing the vision in team meetings, performance reviews, recognition schemes and even day-to-day conversations. Leaders need to model the change every single day.
2. Forgetting to listen
It’s easy to design a culture from the top down. But when employees aren’t asked for their input – or worse, are asked and then ignored – they’ll see the transformation as “management’s thing.” This is one of the most common culture transformation errors, and it quickly breaks down trust.
How to avoid it:
Create genuine two-way dialogue. Use surveys, focus groups and informal conversations to understand what’s working and what’s not. Act on the feedback you receive and make it clear how employees’ voices are shaping the transformation journey. When people feel heard, they’re more likely to engage and drive forward the long-term culture you’re trying to achieve.
3. Neglecting cross-functional ownership
Culture touches every part of the organisation – from hiring to customer service to finance. Yet many culture change efforts stay siloed within HR or internal comms. Without shared responsibility across functions, change is unlikely to gain traction.
How to avoid it:
Treat culture like any other strategic priority. Involve leaders from all departments in defining, embedding and sustaining it. Give managers the tools and confidence to bring culture change to life in their teams. Because when every function feels responsible, culture is likely to change quicker and become a part of the everyday.
Culture transformation success isn’t about one big moment. It’s about hundreds (or likely even thousands) of consistent actions, owned by everyone and guided by leaders who listen and inspire others. Avoiding these mistakes means you’re not just running a campaign – you’re creating a movement.
Find out what’s really driving (or blocking) your culture
If you want to avoid these common culture transformation mistakes, the first step is knowing where your gaps are. That’s exactly what our THRIVE diagnostics are designed to do.
We’ve created six quick tools – one for each of our THRIVE pillars – that give you tailored insight into what’s working well and where there’s room to improve. Each one takes just a couple of minutes and comes with practical next steps you can act on straight away:
Take one, a few, or all six – and you’ll walk away with clear, practical actions to strengthen your culture.
When employees feel clear, connected and supported, culture transformation doesn’t fade out – it sticks. And if your results highlight areas to focus on, we’re here to help you take the next step.
