We don’t clock out of culture

I’ve been thinking about a quote I read somewhere: “the way we do one thing is how we do all things.”

This morning, it struck me how deeply it applies to corporate culture.

The true culture of an organization isn’t just how people act at work—it’s also how they show up off the clock, with family, friends, and strangers. While many know how to ‘act right’ on a normal Monday morning, their real selves (most reliably evident off-work) emerge in pressure-filled, mission-critical situations. And the essence of culture is how they act in those situations.

Efforts to transform culture are more effective if they influence how people act both on and off work. So leaders must invest more thought and effort into making it real.

This matters for perception too. Most people experience a company’s culture not in team-building events, but from how an employee behaves on a queue or responds on a Twitter space about football. Or Beyoncé. This shapes how your culture is truly seen—and remembered (your brand).

So yes, it’s valid to not hire someone whose public behavior clashes with your values. And as leaders, we all need to reflect: if we preach punctuality or respect, for example, do we embody it everywhere? Maybe we arrive meetings on time, but what about speaking engagements or family dinners? Culture that doesn’t cut across dimensions won’t survive when tested.