Why Inconsistent Culture Hurts Public Trust

Leaders don’t lose trust because of bad policies. They lose it because of the gap between policy and practice. I see it all the time: ⚡ Flexibility encouraged on paper → careers stall when people use it ⚡ Transparency promoted in values → decisions made behind closed doors ⚡ Investment in people announced → budgets cut when pressure rises On the surface, the intent looks right. But employees live the opposite. That’s the real leadership gap. And it’s where credibility erodes fastest. Closing it takes discipline: ✔ Measure how policies land in practice ✔ Hold yourself accountable to the same standards ✔ Be consistent — because one broken promise can be forgiven, repeated gaps define culture Leadership isn’t judged by documents. It’s judged by lived experience.

Only 23% of U.S. employees believe they can apply their organization's values to their work. Even worse? Only 15% believe their leaders uphold company values. Here's what their leaders are missing (and how to fix it): The problem isn't the values themselves. It's the dangerous misalignment between: • What leaders say • What leaders do • What gets rewarded • What happens day-to-day This creates what I call a "culture crisis" - where your words and actions tell two different stories. Trust goes out the window. Engagement plummets. Innovation dies. Results suffer. And the data proves it: • Companies with strong cultures see 4x higher revenue growth over 10 years • They achieve 3.8x higher employee engagement • They're 1.5x more likely to retain top talent But here's what most leaders miss: You can't just send a mass email or put posters up announcing your company values... You must shape it with thousands of tiny decisions made every single day. I see it all too often: • You tell your team that "innovation" is a value - but punish failure • You preach "collaboration" but your processes force competition Your employees WILL pick up on these inconsistencies and it will push them towards greener pastures. Here's what actually works: 1. Systems Alignment (Create Clarity) Your processes must reflect your values. Create clear decision-making frameworks that empower teams to act on values daily. 2. Walk the Talk (Build Alignment) When faced with tough decisions, openly explain how your values guided your choice. 3. Psychological Safety (Generate Movement) Build trust by celebrating when people speak up, admitting your own mistakes, and showing vulnerability first. 4. Consistent Action (Sustain Results) Make values part of your daily conversations. Recognize and reward behaviors that exemplify your values - not just results. The leaders who keep their values alive and well all share one thing: They understand that culture isn't what you say - it's what you consistently DO when no one's watching. And this isn't just theory... These are the exact principles I've used to help transform cultures at some of the world's largest companies. Not sure where to start? Save the infographic below to identify the top 5 culture killers and how to fix them. Want more on becoming the leader everyone wants to work for? Join the 12,500+ leaders who get our weekly email newsletter: https://lnkd.in/en9vxeNk

  “I think we have a culture issue", a client told me recently - and they were right but not in the way they meant.   What they were actually seeing was values inconsistency. Slow, subtle disconnects that don’t blow up, but quietly erode performance and trust.   ➡️ It looks like a CEO who says they value collaboration - but under pressure, they make fast, solo decisions because there’s no time to align.   ➡️ Or a Managing Partner who cares deeply about belonging - but lets underperformance slide too long because they don’t want to hurt morale.   ➡️ Or a President who say they want honest communication - but their team filters bad news because they’ve seen what happens when it lands badly.   None of it comes from bad intent. Most of it comes from pressure, pace, and the reality of leading.   But over time, people learn to pay attention to what actually gets rewarded - not what gets said. And that’s where the culture drifts 🫠   What makes this tricky is that values misalignment doesn’t always look dysfunctional. It just makes everything feel harder than it should be.   📉 Decision-making slows. 📉 Engagement dips. 📉 The wrong behaviours get normalised.   And slowly, your top performers start to check out - or walk out.   According to PwC, 69% of leaders believe culture gives them an edge. But only 27% believe they understand the culture they actually have.   That gap? It usually has to do with values.   The solution isn’t another offsite or slide deck. It’s much simpler - and harder.   It’s looking at how your values show up when you’re under pressure. How they shape what you reward, who you promote, how you hire, how you lead.   It’s holding the mirror up and asking:   🔈 What do I want people to say about me when I’m not in the room?   And then getting support to lead like that now, not later.   This is the work I do with senior leaders and executive teams.   Not to make them different people - but to help them lead more deliberately, in full alignment with what they care about most.   If that’s something you’ve been thinking about, let’s have a conversation. #executivecoaching #leadershipvalues #organisationalculture

Something I have seen a number of times sadly : a respected, occasionally brilliant leader suddenly disappears from their role—no announcement, no acknowledgment, no explanation. When this is done for political reasons, vanity, or personal agendas, it’s more than just a personnel change. It’s a red flag for organisational decay—and a glaring indictment of the ethics of those involved. Here’s what such actions scream: 1. Power Trumps Merit When competence is sacrificed for loyalty or convenience, institutions lose their edge. Expertise and results take a backseat to sycophancy. 2. Fear of Accountability Secrecy suggests the decision can’t withstand scrutiny. If the reasoning were ethical or performance-based, transparency would be the norm. 3. A Toxic Culture Thrives Backroom deals and whispered politics erode trust. Teams become cynical, disengaged, and fearful of who’s next. 4. Short-Term Wins Over Legacy Discarding institutional memory for fleeting political gains undermines long-term stability. Progress stalls when experience is dismissed. 5. Disrespect for Service Failing to honor a leader’s contributions tells employees: “Your dedication is disposable.”Morale plummets. 6. Democracy Erodes in Silence In public institutions, secrecy breeds public distrust. Citizens rightly ask: “What are they hiding?” What It Reveals About the Ethics of Those Involved Silencing and sidelining leaders without explanation isn’t just unprofessional—it’s a moral failure Here’s what it says… - Integrity is negotiable - When leaders prioritise self-interest or political survival over fairness, they reveal that their principles are for sale. - The public good is secondary- Ethical leadership requires stewarding power for collective benefit—not weaponising it to silence dissent or rivals. - Deception is a strategy- Concealing the truth is a choice. It shows a willingness to manipulate stakeholders (employees, citizens, partners) to avoid accountability. - Courage is lacking - Ethical leaders own their decisions, even unpopular ones. Quiet removals are acts of cowardice, not conviction. - Trust is a casualty - As Aristotle said, “Ethics is not about what we do, but who we become.”Those who normalise secrecy and dishonesty corrode trust in every institution they touch. Jack Welch famously said, “You manage people out as well as you manage in” Hannah Arendt warned, the “banality of evil” often starts with small, unexamined abuses of power. When leaders act in shadows, they normalise dysfunction—and everyone pays the price. Ethical leadership isn’t a buzzword—it’s the bedrock of sustainable success. When we see silent removals, let’s speak up. When we witness disrespect, let’s demand better. Because cultures built on fear and secrecy will never outlast those rooted in trust and transparency. #Leadership #TransparencyMatters #EthicalLeadership #Accountability

Trust doesn’t come from what you say—it comes from what you do. Leaders often preach collaboration and transparency, but when actions favor output over principles, trust erodes rapidly. Here’s the truth: trust is built—or destroyed—in the small moments of leadership. Inconsistency ends up smelling a whole lot like a lack of integrity, and your reports will absolutely notice if your actions don't align with your words. When a direct report struggles, the easy choice is to avoid the hard conversation. But that moment? It’s your chance to teach, to support, and to build trust. Walking away from an opportunity to have a straightforward conversation robs that individual of a learning experience. A culture that values outcomes over behaviors kills innovation. Teams stop taking risks when mistakes aren’t safe. And there is no reason to favor outcomes (or delivery) at the expense of the behaviors, because they can (and must) exist simultaneously to truly have a high performance team. Leaders must align actions with their words. That’s the foundation of a high-performance, high-trust culture. Leadership without trust isn’t leadership—it’s management. I would love to hear shared stories about the impact that trust--or lack thereof--has had on your team in the past. What’s one action you’ve taken that strengthened trust on your team? What's one action you've seen that damaged trust?