Good culture is built in the smallest moments.
Culture is built in the smallest moments. This week at my 7-year-old’s football training, the team were practising penalties. A few of the boys began chanting “miss, miss, miss” as their teammates stepped up to shoot. One boy missed… and walked away visibly upset. The coach addressed it immediately – as he should. But when my own son came off the pitch, I didn’t shout or label him as “naughty.” Instead, I asked him to step into the other boy’s shoes. “How would you feel if that was you?” “Sad.” “So how do you think he feels now?” “Sad.” “Is it kind to make someone feel sad?” “No.” “What’s the right thing to do?” “To say sorry.” So he did. Will he always get it right? No. Is he a bad kid? Absolutely not. He’s learning what good culture looks like. And this applies far beyond football fields. In families. In leadership. In teams. In business. Culture isn’t created by rules alone. It’s created by the identity we reinforce: “I am someone who takes responsibility.” “I am someone who considers others.” “I am someone who contributes positively.” That’s why goal setting that focuses only on targets often fails. Lasting change starts with identity. This is exactly what I’ll be teaching in my upcoming 3-part live series on goal setting around identity — how to build goals that align with who you are becoming, not just what you want to achieve. If you’re interested in building stronger habits, teams, or leadership from the inside out, I’d love for you to join. What culture are your actions quietly teaching others?