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When you’re leading a business, especially during tough patches, it's natural to focus on survival. You’re thinking about cashflow. Making payroll. Hitting sales targets. Culture and values? They can easily feel like a “nice to have” rather than a necessity.
The truth is, culture isn’t a side project. It’s the foundation. It doesn’t run on autopilot (although that might be nice) and it takes intention.
What you tolerate, you enable. A team member consistently turning up late. A manager snapping under pressure. A customer being treated in a way that doesn’t sit right. If it goes unaddressed — it becomes the new normal.
We’ve worked really intentionally on our culture over the last five years in particular. We’ve seen the positive impact in things like staff morale, job satisfaction and retention rates. Lately though we noticed we’d hit cruise control, taking our team culture for granted, and in the process drifted a little from holding our core values front and centre.
It was a great reminder that staying intentional about culture, even when things are busy or hard, is so important. Not just because it’s the “right thing to do" — but because it directly impacts performance, retention, customer satisfaction, and ultimately, your bottom line.
Small Actions That Make a Big Difference
Culture doesn’t have to mean dramatic change or expensive team retreats. It’s built in the small, consistent things you do every day. Here are a few ways to stay intentional:
1. Link everyday actions to your values. One of our core values is - "We add value." And that’s not just for our clients but our team too, which is why we created a simple winter wellness kit with ingredients for soup for each of our team. One less meal to think about plus some health and nutrition in amongst the winter bugs that have hit our team hard.
2. Have regular culture check-ins. Don’t wait for things to go off the rails. Create space for honest conversations — what’s working, what’s drifting, what needs attention.
3. Celebrate the right behaviours. What gets rewarded gets repeated. Shine a light on people who are walking out your values.
4. Document your non-negotiables. What will you not tolerate? Be clear and consistent. Your team takes cues from what you let slide.
5. Get help to stay accountable. Sometimes, having an outside perspective can help you cut through the noise and keep your culture on track.
We Can Help
At Sudburys, we help business owners and leaders build strong, values-led cultures that fuel performance — not just feel-good moments. If you'd like support being intentional, building accountability, or aligning your culture with your business goals, we’d love to chat. Contact us here.
Make sure your team culture isn’t left to chance.
