Let’s talk about culture—specifically, what many organizations get wrong about building it.
Too often, leaders think of culture as a perk. Something intangible, soft, or “nice to have.” Maybe it’s a set of values printed on a poster. Maybe it’s a ping-pong table in the break room. But culture isn’t any of those things.
In reality, culture is one of the most powerful drivers of business performance. It shapes how people behave when no one’s watching, and it influences everything from collaboration and innovation to accountability and trust. A strong culture gives people clarity and confidence especially during times of change or uncertainty. Without it, even the best strategies fall flat.
Culture is how work actually gets done. It’s how decisions are made, how people communicate, how leaders show up, and how employees feel about coming to work every day. It’s the behaviors, the tone, the consistency-or lack of it-that shapes performance.
And here’s the business case: Companies with strong cultures have seen a 4x increase in revenue growth compared to those with weak cultures, according to a study by PwC. That’s not fluff. That’s measurable impact.
At MCG Partners, we’ve seen this firsthand. One of our clients, a mid-sized tech company based in Massachusetts, was struggling with turnover in its leadership team and declining employee engagement scores. They had invested heavily in tools and systems but hadn’t addressed the cultural inconsistencies causing friction.
We worked with them to define the leadership behaviors they wanted to see, align those behaviors with their values, and integrate them into everything from hiring to performance reviews. Within six months, employee engagement increased by 21%, and voluntary turnover dropped by 18%.
Building culture isn’t about slogans or swag it’s about intention, alignment, and leadership. It takes real work, but it pays off.
If you’re wondering where to start or how to shift your culture in a meaningful way, let’s talk. I’m always up for a conversation about how culture can become your competitive edge.
