Most leaders say they care about team culture.
In fact, it’s a big topic for many of the leaders I work with.
Annnnd sometimes we take a pretty narrow view of it.
We often think of culture as the events, the happy hours, the informal moments between the work.
And yes, those things *do* matter.
But when a leader comes to me to help “fix” their culture, the answer is almost never more team building.
More often than not, the real issue isn’t a lack of connection—it’s a lack of clarity.
As leaders we assume:
– “It’ll shake out as we grow.”
– Or, “They’ll figure it out by working together.”
But here’s the truth: If we don’t provide clarity, the team culture will suffer.
And so will the work.
I’ve seen it firsthand—good teams with great people struggling simply because no one was clear on:
Who owns what How decisions get made What success actually looks like
When people aren’t clear on expectations, roles, or decision-making, you don’t get collaboration…you get confusion, frustration, and bottlenecks.
So if your team feels off, start here: Where is clarity missing?
→ Do people know exactly what they’re responsible for?
→ When priorities shift, is it clearly communicated—or do people just have to figure it out?
→ Do team members know what decisions they can make on their own?
Fixing it doesn’t require an overhaul. You can start by addressing one clarity gap at a time.
