A Different Way to Think About Culture

We talk about culture as if it’s something that happens to people.

The culture is good.
The culture is broken.
The culture needs fixing.

But culture doesn’t arrive all at once.
It shows up one person at a time, one interaction at a time, one workday at a time.

Before there’s a team culture, there’s a culture of one.

The culture you live in most

Most people experience culture through meetings, norms, and leadership behavior.

But the culture that shapes your work most consistently is quieter:

• How you approach tasks
• Where your attention goes under pressure
• How you respond when work gets difficult
• What you do when the environment isn’t ideal

That’s not the organizational culture.
That’s your culture at work.

And it’s the one you inhabit every day.

You don’t need permission to shape it

Organizational culture change is slow, political, and often out of reach.

But the culture of one doesn’t require approval.

You shape it through:

• How you enter meetings: with intention or tension
• What you don’t say (or don’t send) when you’re frustrated
• What standards you keep even when others lower theirs
• Whether you improve the process quietly or complain about it loudly
• How you protect focus when the environment is messy
• Whether you choose the smallest useful next move—or wait for ideal conditions

These choices don’t show up on culture surveys. But they strongly influence your experience of work.

Culture of one doesn’t mean working alone

This isn’t about independence or isolation.

It’s about agency.

People with a strong culture of one tend to:

• Stay effective in mixed or draining environments
• Learn while working, not just after
• Preserve energy instead of burning it on dynamics
• Influence outcomes without needing authority

They don’t opt out of the team.
They contribute from a more stable place.

The hidden advantage

When you develop a culture of one, something subtle happens.

You stop waiting for:

• Better meetings
• Clearer direction
• More supportive leadership
• A healthier climate

And start working with what’s actually available.

Over time, this often has a ripple effect.
But that’s not the goal.

The goal is work that holds up— even when the environment doesn’t.

A different way to think about culture

Culture is often treated as something organizations do to people. But for most of us, culture is something we practice — one workday at a time.

Before culture is shared, it’s personal.

Before it’s collective, it’s individual.

Before it’s “the culture,” it’s the culture of one.

And that culture starts with you.