The dark side of company culture is that it can change you.

Culture is shared beliefs and consistent actions that dictate how the work gets done in any particular organization. The key to that definition is the word “shared.” Shared means that the belief or the action has widespread buy in. The idea or the action has approval.

So, you have a different idea about how the proposal should look? We will pretend to listen and then gently straighten you out.

You don’t like it when your fellow sales people talk about their “hit list” of potential clients? Well, what else would you call them? That’s just how we talk around here. It’s no big deal.

You don’t think the twice-weekly status meetings are a valuable enough use of your time. But that’s how we collaborate. Don’t you want to collaborate?

When you feel the uncomfortable pressure to change your sound mind or your impeccable behavior, you are feeling the pressure of culture.

The point? Awareness.

Be aware that the “little things, consistently done” matter when it comes to creating any culture. And with your new found awareness that these little things can change you (and others) for the worse, to be courageous enough with your leadership to change those little things.