Building Culture Takes Time

One of the biggest mistakes I see leaders make is expecting culture to change quickly. But culture isn’t a switch you flip—it’s a climb. A slow, intentional build that takes commitment, not quick fixes. And like any good climb, if you try to leap ahead without building a strong foundation, you’re going to slip.

When I work with clients on improving culture, we start by looking at Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. It’s a useful lens because your team can’t fully contribute, collaborate, or innovate if their foundational needs aren’t met. Each level supports the next.

You don’t need gimmicks or grand gestures. You need consistency. Clarity. And a commitment to seeing culture as a long game.

At my own company, Rock Paper Scissors, we’ve been applying this approach for years. It wasn’t built overnight—and we’re still climbing—but using this framework helped us move from high turnover to a place where many of our team members have been with us for a decade or more.

Here’s how I think about building culture, and how we’ve lived it out at RPS:

1. Physiological Needs: Start With the Basics

If people don’t have what they need to function, nothing else matters. And yet, leaders often skip this part, assuming the basics are already handled.

In your workplace, this means:

Is the space physically safe and comfortable?
Do people have access to the tools, equipment, and supplies they need?
Are they being paid fairly and on time?

But it’s more than logistics—it’s about follow-through. When someone asks for a tool, time off, or even clarity, and you say “I’ll take care of it,” you’re building culture in that moment. Honoring your word—even on the small things—shows people they can rely on you. It creates a baseline of trust that everything else is built on.

At RPS, we made this a priority:

A safe, stocked office space.
Reliable access to needed supplies.
Fair compensation, always paid on time.
And a culture of responsiveness: if someone raised a need, we acted on it—or clearly explained why we couldn’t.

Culture starts at this level. If people are distracted by missing essentials or broken promises, they’re not in a place to connect, contribute, or grow. You’ve got to start here.

2. Safety Needs: Build Trust Through Action

Once the basics are in place, the next step is creating emotional and psychological safety. People need to know their voices are heard and respected. That leadership means what it says.

In my coaching, I encourage leaders to:

Respond to concerns with action, not defensiveness.
Be consistent—say what you mean and follow through.
Watch the emotional tone of your team and name it when something feels off.
Honor your word—especially on the small stuff. When you follow through on what you say—whether it’s resolving a concern, revisiting a policy, or just checking back in—you’re building credibility that creates safety.

At RPS, one of the ways we make sure team members feel heard is through our After Action Review process. After each project or ongoing retainer cycle, we ask three simple but powerful questions:

What worked?
What didn’t work?
And what do we Keep, Improve, Stop, and Start (KISS)?

But here’s the key: we don’t just collect answers—we act on them. Feedback is reviewed and routed to the right internal group—leadership, operations, or creative—depending on the issue. When someone sees that their comment sparked a conversation or change, it reinforces that their input matters.

That kind of follow-through doesn’t just solve problems—it builds a culture where people feel safe to speak up, because they trust they’ll be taken seriously.

3. Belonging: Intentionally Create Connection

Once trust is in place, the human need for belonging kicks in. People want to feel part of something—seen, connected, and valued.

You can’t fake this. It takes effort, but it doesn’t have to be complicated.

At RPS, we didn’t just hope friendships would happen—we built in rituals and rhythms that fostered connection:

Welcome lunches for new hires so they start with faces and friendships, not just job tasks.
Monthly game nights that give us time to just be people—not content marketers, not designers, not account leads.
Celebration moments—birthdays, anniversaries, unexpected gifts—because people should feel noticed.
Slack channels like #rpscelebrations and #random that let people give shout-outs and share real life, not just client updates.
Souvenirs from travel—whenever someone goes out of town, they bring something back to share with the team, whether it’s a snack from a different country or a small trinket. It’s a simple, fun way to share our lives outside of work and acknowledge the support it takes to cover for each other when someone’s away.

These touchpoints created a sense of community that helped people feel like they belonged.

One of the most consistent and beloved examples is our monthly game night tradition. It started years ago with a few casual outings—baseball games, behind-the-scenes tours, simple field trips that let us hang out beyond the walls of the office. People responded with such enthusiasm that we decided to formalize it—but in a way that didn’t add stress or pressure.

Now, we host a gathering every month (except November), and the format shifts to keep things fresh:

Some months, we bring in board games and hang out at the office.
Other times, we go out together for something different—axe throwing, seeing a show, or even doing crafts.
In October, it’s pumpkin carving.
In December, it’s a full-blown celebration with homemade lasagna, Secret Santa, and absurd minute-to-win-it games.

The point isn’t perfection—it’s consistency and fun. These nights are optional, and there’s no pressure to show up. But we regularly have over 50%+ of the team participate throughout the year, and the results speak for themselves: stronger relationships, better collaboration, and unexpected discoveries (like who’s wildly competitive at Monopoly or surprisingly great at flip cup).

As a coach, I tell clients: belonging doesn’t grow out of strategy decks—it grows from showing up, laughing together, and seeing each other as whole people. These moments matter more than most leaders realize.

4. Esteem: Recognize and Empower People

Once people feel safe and connected, they start asking: Am I valued here? Does my work matter? Do people notice what I bring to the table?

Esteem is where culture can either stall or soar.

This isn’t just about praise—it’s about consistent systems that build confidence, offer growth, and show your team that you’re invested in them.

At RPS, we’ve worked hard to build a culture where people feel seen and supported through five core practices:

Mentorship – Every team member has monthly one-on-one meetings where they set their own goals—professional or personal. These meetings aren’t performance reviews—they’re development conversations. We ask the same four questions each time to create consistency and trust. Over time, this structure builds confidence and shows every team member that their growth matters.
Positive Reinforcement – We regularly call out great work, both privately and publicly—through Slack, team meetings, and everyday conversations. We also celebrate wins in a dedicated #rpscelebrations channel so the entire team can cheer each other on. Recognition isn’t a formality—it’s how we build momentum.
Continuing Education – Growth doesn’t happen by accident. We give our team time and encouragement to pursue training, certifications, and learning experiences tied to their goals. Sometimes that’s a course, a conference, or even just space to dive deeper into a new skill.
Raises & Promotions – When someone grows, we make sure it’s acknowledged in their role and compensation. Raises and promotions at RPS are tied to contribution, accountability, and initiative—not just tenure. We want our team to know that advancement is possible, and they don’t have to leave to level up.
Quarterly RPS Reports – Instead of traditional performance reviews, we look at team-wide health every 90 days. These reports highlight how we’re tracking toward company KPIs, reflect on what’s working (and what’s not), and give everyone visibility into how our collective efforts connect to the bigger picture. It’s about alignment—not grading individuals.
Awards – We actively submit our team’s work for national and international design and content awards. This isn’t about ego—it’s about honoring the caliber of what our team produces and giving them external validation for their excellence. When someone’s work is shortlisted, published, or wins, it reinforces that their talent isn’t just appreciated internally—it’s respected across the industry. These moments build pride, confidence, and a deeper sense of purpose in the work.

Together, these six tools help us move esteem from a nice idea to a lived experience. They show our team that their work has weight—and so do they.

As a coach, I always tell leaders: if you want people to rise, give them the tools, feedback, and recognition they need to believe in themselves. Esteem is built, not assumed.

5. Self-Actualization: Support Growth and Purpose

At the top of Maslow’s hierarchy is self-actualization—the space where people step into their potential, take ownership of their path, and align their work with purpose.

This is where culture gets deeply personal. And as a coach, I’ve learned that your team’s ability to self-actualize doesn’t depend on motivation—it depends on the environment you create.

At RPS, we work to build that environment every day. Here’s how we support growth beyond the job description:

Mentorship with Purpose – Every team member meets with me one-on-one each month. These meetings are led by them, with space to talk through both personal and professional goals. We keep it grounded with four consistent questions. Over time, this structure builds trust, helps surface blind spots, and ensures we’re supporting the whole person—not just their job title.
Personalized Goal Setting – Instead of a generic development track, we ask each person to bring a monthly goal—something meaningful to them. It could be mastering a skill, reaching a wellness milestone, or building a new habit. This rhythm creates momentum and clarity—and shows that their growth is a shared priority.
Creative Autonomy – We empower team members to propose and lead initiatives they care about. Whether it’s launching a new internal process, testing a new offering, or fixing a long-standing friction point, this kind of ownership fosters purpose and innovation.
Space to Explore – We encourage exploration—even when it doesn’t align with the original role. Sometimes people need to try something new to figure out what really lights them up—and when they do, everyone wins.
Celebrating Personal Wins – Whether someone runs a 10K, renovates a home, leads their first presentation, or just sets a boundary that helps them thrive—we acknowledge it. Culture is personal. If you’re not celebrating life milestones and personal breakthroughs, you’re missing some of the most meaningful ways people grow.

A Real Example: The Designer Who Became a Director

One of the clearest examples of this in action is our current Director of Operations. She started at RPS as a junior designer. In those early years, she was solid—but stuck. She didn’t feel as energized by design as some of her teammates, and at one point, she was seriously considering a career change.

But because of the mentorship, transparency, and safe space we’ve created, she had room to reflect. Over time, she started noticing how much she enjoyed solving internal puzzles—refining processes, fixing inefficiencies, and asking how we could work smarter. When she expressed interest in diving deeper into operations, I encouraged her to explore it.

That moment changed everything.

She lit up. She came alive in a way we hadn’t seen before—and so did our systems. She grew into a leadership role that neither of us would have predicted in year one. And our entire company has grown stronger as a result.

That’s the power of giving people room to evolve. Sometimes the right person is just in the wrong seat. And when you let them shift, explore, and grow, you don’t just retain talent—you unlock it.

Culture is a Climb

Wherever your team is right now, take a moment to ask: are you trying to operate at the top of the pyramid without addressing the foundation? Culture shifts don’t happen at the top—they start at the bottom.

When you take the time to build each level, you create a culture that’s not just strong—it’s sustainable.

Next Up: Celebrate the Individual – See the Whole Person
In the next post, we’ll look at what it means to truly see your team members—not just for their output, but for who they are. Because thriving people build thriving teams—and it’s our job to help them get in the right seat to do it.