Here’s a one question test to assess whether leaders have a cultural challenge at work:

“Does it feel like your team is firing on all cylinders?”

Culture is way bigger than free lunch and bean bag chairs. Culture is core values, whether implicit or explicit, in action. And the outcome of culture always boils down to a feeling.

I feel like my future is bright here.

I feel respected.

I feel like I am growing.

I feel valued.

I feel safe.

I feel like what I say makes a difference.

I feel like this is a great place to work.

I feel like my boss has my back.

I feel like enlisting my friends to come work here is a good idea.

Often, cultural challenges are hard for us to put our finger on. We can feel it, though, when something is off. Conversely, we have also experienced the thrill when the team is firing on all cylinders–when things are working exceptionally well.

If you answered “no” to the question above, you likely have a cultural challenge. Forget about focusing on the symptom, dig deeper to solve for the challenge itself.