Culture change has become a leadership obsession. We talk about it during rapid expansion, after mergers, when founders step back, when private equity enters.

What gets far less attention is this: Your culture can change without you realizing it – especially when you bring in new leaders.

You Didn’t Change. Your Culture Did.

Why? Well, it’s not because you stopped caring or because you abandoned your values. And it’s not because there’s something wrong with the new leaders, you want them to bring in different ideas and approaches. And sometimes that can dramatically shift the culture. 

Ironically, the underlying cause is trust – unexamined trust that has you assuming rather than monitoring. The result is that your awareness isn’t keeping pace with the impact of new leadership, however well intended it may be.

I see this with successful, well-intended CEOs who are deeply committed to people and purpose — what I call love-powered leadership. The business is growing. The leadership team is expanding. All good, right?

Nothing Feels Wrong. That’s the Blind Spot.

You trust that leaders who perform well are reinforcing the culture.
You trust that shared language about values equals shared behavior.
You trust that strong results signal alignment.

But it’s unexamined trust.

Meanwhile, norms may subtly shift. Maybe spreadsheets set the tone now, instead of group discussion. Or maybe concerns are still acknowledged but no longer explored.

LEARN TO LEAD FROM THE INSIDE OUT. The Amare Leadership Lab. Join a small, trusted circle of leaders who don’t pretend they have it all figured out. Five immersive, experimental lab sessions and a private breakthrough coaching session with Moshe. Show up fully, release what’s been holding you back, and create major shifts in you and your impact. Starts in early May, get more info  now .

Do This Instant Leadership Experiment

On a scale of 1–10, what do you think is the cultural impact of your leadership team right now?

Now check with a few people at different levels in your organization on the impact. What did you learn?

Window – Starbucks Learned the Hard Way

In the early 2000s, Starbucks expanded from about 2,800 stores to more than 15,000 in seven years. Revenue climbed. Operations tightened. Yet rapid scaling and more automation quietly eroded the brand’s essence, the personal coffeehouse experience. There is nothing malicious and no bad intentions. The blind spot was that growth reshaped culture much faster than leadership recognized.

Mirror – The Bottom Line Culture Question

Are you sure the culture you think you have is the one your leadership team is actually creating?

Door Into Action: 5 Amare Ways to Reveal What You’re Missing

1. Define the culture in behavioral terms. State clearly the observable behaviors that represent your culture at its best. Make them concrete and specific.

2. Increase your own awareness deliberately. Ask yourself where trust may have replaced inquiry. Invite two trusted leaders to tell you what you might be missing.

3. Find out what you’re missing. Ask a few trusted leaders who you know will be honest, to surface what you may be missing. Listen without defending.

4. Ask directly about culture change. In small group and one-on-one meetings, ask: “Since we expanded the leadership team, what seems different about our culture?” Listen without defending or explaining.

5. Reconstruct a high-pressure moment. Review a recent decision under stress and identify what was reinforced — speed, candor, margin, collaboration.

Amare Team Talk

Ask your executive team, and one level down: “What might be changing in our culture that we don’t notice or talk about?” Then discuss potential impacts, positive and negative.

Your Inspirational Challenge

Leadership changes can make or break an organization. When you assume your new leaders are preserving and promoting your cultural alignment, you may be right. 

And, you may be wrong. If integrity is one of your organizational values then checking in on how people experience the impact of new leaders on your culture is perfectly aligned. Your awareness must rise with the scale of change.

Love-Powered Leadership means staying conscious and examining impact even when things are working. It means recognizing that trust without attention can quietly degrade what you care about most.

If you want to sustain the culture you believe you have, first take a good look at what it actually is. That vigilance is love in action.

Amare,

– Moshe

Today’s Amare Wave Wednesday Quote

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”

—Peter Drucker, “father” of modern management

   

Click here and read more Amare Wave Wednesday newsletters on related topics:

Change Your Words, Change Your Culture, Change The World

What You Reward Becomes Your Culture—Choose Carefully

Big Change Starts Small: How Purpose-Driven Leaders Overcome Overwhelm And Navigate Uncertainty

Grow Big–But Not Too Big! The Contradictory Signals Of Business Culture And How To Lead Through It

4 Ways To Succeed In Your Business Environment

   

Original article published on Inc.com.