Culture Is Hidden, Not Invisible– Your Shot of Fearless Culture #387

Where change agents find their weekly dose of culture insights and exercises, one topic at a time.

Jul 23, 2025

I'm done with people repeating that culture is intangible, invisible. Yes, culture is complex, but that doesn't mean we can't codify it.

Every time we use this language, we hand leaders the perfect excuse.

And leaders love the narrative that culture is invisible.

Culture becomes the cure for all your organizational flaws—or the perfect excuse if things go wrong.

Missed targets? Blame the culture. High turnover? Too complex to fix. Can't change anything? Culture is intangible.

If culture is mysterious, you can't be held accountable for it.

If it's too complex to grasp, naturally you can't be expected to change it.

But here's what I've learned after years of helping organizations: Culture isn't invisible. It's hidden in plain sight. It's in your meetings, your conflicts, and who gets promoted, as well as what gets tolerated.

You just need to know where and what to look for.

That’s my invitation for this week.

Explore this week's newsletter:

My latest article → Culture Is Not Invisible—It's Hidden in Plain Sight
Practical exercises to spot culture in action

Stay fearless, my friend.

Gustavo

In Case You Missed It

→ The ABCs of Workplace Culture

Ask Your Team This

What would an outsider notice about our behavior that we no longer do?

⚠️ Try This

The Culture Observer Exercise

During your next team meeting, assign one person as the culture observer– someone who steps back to observe team dynamics.

Have them monitor:

Speaking patterns: Which voices consistently dominate, and which are missing? Where did we notice people seeking approval? Were there moments we softened or avoided something to keep the peace?
Dealing with ideas: What happens when someone shares a half-formed thought? Do people explore risky ideas or resort to safe ones?
Energy shifts: What topics or moments seem to energize the room? Which drains the energy?
Dealing with ambiguity: What happens when no one has the answer? How do team members navigate ambiguity and uncertainty?
Managing conflict: What happens when two perspectives collide? How does the team manage disagreements?

After the meeting, spend 5 minutes debriefing what the observer noticed.

Rotate the observer role so everyone gets to see your team's culture from the outside.

🍦 Feed Your Curiosity

Are your company values more than just words?

You get the culture you tolerate

Blame culture is toxic. Here’s how to stop it.

🔎 Do You Know How to Improve Culture?

Your team says they value collaboration, but people still work in silos. You believe asking for help shows strength, but everyone suffers in silence.

Here's the uncomfortable truth: Most leaders are managing a culture that exists only in their heads.

The Culture Design Masterclass helps you see what's really happening:

Uncover your actual culture (beyond the values on your wall)
Identify the hidden gaps blocking change
Design a culture that drives the behaviors you actually need

Join the Culture Design Masterclass.

“Gustavo is amazing! I had been waiting for this class for months and it was worth the wait! I’m excited to continue the certification journey because one day is just not enough for the amount of wisdom he has to share.”
– Michelle

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