Culture-Driven Leadership: How to Build a Thriving Team
Culture isn’t built on motivational posters, free snacks, or once-a-year team-building exercises. It’s built by you—the leader—through your actions, consistency, and accountability. Want a thriving, engaged team? It’s not about what you say; it’s about what you actually do.
Let’s break down what culture-driven leadership really looks like and how to make it part of your daily leadership (without losing your mind).
Your Behavior = Your Culture
As a leader, you set the tone more than anyone else. It’s not about giving a pep talk on core values and calling it a day—it’s about actually living them out.
Your consistency matters. Do you follow through on what you say?
Your clarity matters. Do people know what’s expected, or are they guessing?
Your accountability matters. Do you own mistakes, or do you shift blame?
Your team will take cues from you. If you say you value accountability but let things slide, guess what? Accountability just became optional. If you claim to be open to feedback but get defensive when people offer it, they’ll stop speaking up.
Culture isn’t words on a website—it’s how things actually operate in your practice every single day.
Trust + Accountability = A Stronger Team
Let’s talk trust. If your team doesn’t trust that you’ll follow through, communicate clearly, or take accountability, they will disengage.
Idea overwhelm is real. If you throw out big ideas constantly without clarity on whether they’re happening, your team will stop taking them seriously.
Feedback is a gift. If someone gives you honest feedback and you get defensive, you just trained them not to do it again.
Vulnerability builds trust. Own your mistakes. Acknowledge when you’ve screwed up. It shows your team it’s okay to do the same.
Trust isn’t built in grand gestures; it’s built in the tiny, daily moments where you prove you’re someone worth following.
The Three Habits of Culture-Driven Leaders
If you want a thriving team culture, focus on these three things:
1. Radical Consistency (aka "Walk the Damn Talk")
Great leaders are consistent—not just when it’s convenient. If you say feedback is important, make it a regular thing (not just when something goes wrong). If you say you value accountability, hold the line every single time—not just when it’s easy.
👉 Try this: Review the last 3-5 times you gave feedback. Was it only when something was wrong? If so, time to course-correct.
2. Clear Communication (aka "No Guessing Games")
No one should have to guess what you expect. Ambiguity breeds uncertainty and stress. Clear, direct communication makes people feel safe, empowered, and focused on their work instead of trying to read your mind.
👉 Try this: Look at the last email you sent asking for something. Was the deadline clear? Was the ask direct? If not, tighten it up.
3. Visible Accountability (aka "Own Your Sh*t")
If you screw up, own it—publicly. The best teams aren’t blame factories; they’re learning environments. Modeling vulnerability builds trust, and trust leads to real accountability across the board.
👉 Try this: Next time you mess up, instead of making excuses, just say “That’s on me”—and watch how it shifts your team’s culture.
Balancing Approachability & Authority
Being a good leader isn’t about being besties with your team. It’s about balancing approachability (so people feel safe coming to you) with authority (so they respect your leadership).
Approachability ≠ Weakness.
Authority ≠ Being a Dictator.
You can be warm, supportive, and understanding while also holding people accountable. The best leaders do both.
Creating a Culture Reinforcement Loop
Want a team that holds itself accountable without you stepping in constantly? Create a culture reinforcement loop where:
Leaders hold the team accountable.
The team holds each other accountable.
Accountability becomes an expectation, not a “gotcha” moment.
If two team members are struggling with missed deadlines, they should be able to address it directly with each other—without waiting for leadership to step in. That’s what a healthy culture looks like.
Embedding Culture in Your Daily Leadership
Culture isn’t something extra—it’s woven into how you run your practice every day.
Team Meetings: Call out examples of people living out core values. Make culture a visible priority.
One-on-One Check-ins: Ask culture-based questions like “How do you feel about the team dynamic?”
Performance Reviews: Include culture-based metrics so it’s not just about job performance—it’s about team alignment.
Final Challenge: Reflect & Act
What’s one cultural behavior you’ve been tolerating that needs to change?
What’s one way you’ll reinforce culture this week?
The smallest changes in how you show up as a leader can make the biggest impact on your team’s culture.
Need Help Building a Stronger Team Culture?
If you’re ready to get real support in shaping a high-trust, high-accountability team, you need to join the Culture Focused Practice Membership.
Live training & Q&As twice a month
A private Facebook group where we troubleshoot leadership struggles in real-time
A growing resource library full of practical tools & insights
👉 Join here: www.taravossenkemper.com/culture-focus-practice
You don’t have to figure this out alone. Let’s build a practice where your culture actually works for you. 🎯
About the Author
Dr. Tara Vossenkemper is a gently-candid consultant who’s been in the trenches of group practice ownership since 2017. With a hearty blend of depth, irreverence, and a solid dash of humor (or so she hopes), Tara helps practice owners navigate the can-be-messy process of hiring, culture-building, vision generating, people-y issues, and all the other things that keep you up at night. When she’s not consulting, she’s probably wrangling her animals or homeschooling her kids—because why not add more chaos to the mix?
Ready to dive deeper into practice culture? Join the membership and get access to the tools and insights that make thriving, sustainable practices more than just a pipe dream.
