Culture Clarity: The Perspective Most Leaders Can't Get on Their Own

Every business leader is searching for perspective — a way to see the forest through the trees, the dance floor through the dancing. In his book Refounder, Patrick Colletti introduces a framework for "taking what's broken and making it better," and his first step is deceptively simple: "Take a Sober Look at Hard Realities." I've always liked that phrasing because it captures something founders and leaders struggle with every day. We have to take off our aspirational glasses, set aside our egos, and really look at what we're building to gain the necessary perspective.

That sober look is hardest when it comes to culture. But here’s what I’ve learned after years of working with leaders on exactly this challenge: culture clarity — a real, honest understanding of how your organization actually works — doesn’t come from surveying your people or auditing your processes. It comes from understanding the two forces that shape every organization beneath the surface: the systems people build to get work done, and the relationships they form along the way. When leaders learn to see those forces clearly, everything else — the strategy, the transformation, the growth — gets easier.

Culture Is King — And That's Not a Cliché

Before we go further, let's establish a key point that isn’t necessarily taught in business school. Culture is king. That doesn't replace cash, customers, or sales — all are essential. But when it comes to scaling, transforming, growing, or managing a changing business, a strong culture always shapes how and if the organization responds.

People are at the center of your organization. They always have been. The quality of your culture will determine your long-term success more reliably than any product roadmap or go-to-market strategy.

Why Culture Is So Hard to See from the Inside

Here's the challenge: you are simultaneously part of your culture and above it, so it can sometimes feel impossible to see it clearly. The dual role of participating in the culture, and being the one to sign the checks, corrupts the data from the start. Why? Because employees will often filter what they share with you. To understand your culture fully, you need to know the struggles, the workarounds, the real story of how work actually gets done — and leaders are often the last to know.

And here's what makes getting a clear perspective on your culture even more complex — culture quickly grows larger than you. It has to. Employees attach their own meaning, their own interpretation, their own emotional investment. That's actually what you want. That's what gets the flywheel spinning. But it means that once your business reaches a certain size, you are no longer at the center of your own culture. You can set direction, develop values, hire aligned people, and reward the right behaviors. But those activities alone won't define the quality of what you've built.

Two Forces You Can't Fully Control

Every organization is shaped by two forces that leaders can't entirely predict or manage: systems and relationships. Systems emerge organically — not the processes you design, but the informal ways work actually flows. Relationships develop because humans need them to survive and businesses need them to thrive. Together, these two forces move your company forward every single day, whether you're aware of them or not.

Understanding these forces is the starting point for understanding your culture. And the approach matters. Rather than hunting for what's broken, the more powerful question is: what's already working, and why? Your business exists, which means it's doing a lot of things right. Identifying those things — and the systems and relationships that make them possible — gives leaders a foundation to build on rather than a list of problems to react to. That’s what culture clarity actually looks like. It’s not a score on an engagement survey or a set of values on a wall. It’s the ability to see — with honest eyes — how your people are actually working together, what informal systems they’ve created to get things done, and where the relationships that hold your organization together are strong or strained. Leaders who have that clarity make better decisions, communicate more effectively, and earn the trust that enables transformation.

Pursuing Culture Clarity

If you’re ready to take that sober look, here are a few ways to start gaining clarity on the systems and relationships that define your culture.

• Create a culture council — not a committee that just drafts emails and plans happy hours, but a group with real authority to improve the workplace. This gives a space for the organic systems to become part of the culture.
• Set up regular listening sessions with multiple employees at once, not just one-on-ones. Doing this as a group activity demonstrates your willingness to be open and transparent. It also initiates the culture change process during the listening session because change thrives on hearing others' stories and understanding each other. It helps build relationships and trust among everyone.
• Walk the floor. Sit with people. Observe how work truly happens, not how you think it does. You will see the organic systems in action, and it will demonstrate your genuine interest in how people work, which will strengthen the relationship and build trust.
• And most importantly, act on what you hear. If your people tell you they value transparency, do something about it. Listening without action doesn't build trust — it destroys it.

The Bigger Picture

Change is constant. Transformation is inevitable. The leaders who navigate it best aren't the ones with the most sophisticated strategy decks — they're the ones who understand the culture they're working within. That understanding doesn't come from surveys or dashboards. It comes from clarity — a real, honest perspective on the humans and systems that make your business run.

Sometimes you can get there on your own. Sometimes you need a guide. Either way, the work starts with the willingness to look.

Nathan Wadding is the CEO and Founder of The Kindling Culture Agency, where he helps leaders gain clarity on their culture to design better places to work.