When culture goes flat, most leaders reach for the usual levers: a new vision statement, a strategy offsite, a refreshed set of values. 

But often, the missing piece is not vision or strategy. 

Instead, it’s the uniquely human traits that have bonded tribes and communities together for millennia: language, storytelling, rituals and traditions. 

If you’re a CEO, Managing Director, or Head of People: this is your job and it can’t be delegated.  

You are the chief storyteller. The spirit of the team is your responsibility — and you bring it to life through language, rituals and traditions. 

Spirit doesn’t happen by accident. It takes work, and it takes consistency. Here’s how… 

 

Language: culture is built one sentence at a time 

Every team has a language. It’s how culture comes to life day-to-day: the phrases you repeat, the way you give feedback, the words you use to describe customers, and the shorthand you create for what “good” looks like. 

When language is clear and shared, it creates: 

  • Belonging: people feel like insiders, not outsiders 

  • Standards: people know what’s acceptable and what isn’t 

  • Speed: fewer misunderstandings, faster decisions 

On The Inner Chief podcast, Altus Group CEO Ben Marsonet describes some of the language of his safety business. “Protect the protectors.”  It’s a line ingrained in their company language. It’s powerful, repeatable and it gives people purpose. 

Practical move: pick 3–5 phrases you want to become “team language” (eg. how you talk about accountability, feedback, customers, learning). Then reinforce relentlessly - in presentations, 1:1s and everyday conversations.  

 

Storytelling: teams follow stories, not spreadsheets 

People are always asking themselves: 

  • What kind of place is this? 

  • What gets rewarded here? 

  • What happens when you make a mistake? 

They answer those questions through the stories that get told and retold. 

When work starts to feel soulless, it’s often because the story has degraded. People stop seeing purpose. And when purpose disappears, people start looking elsewhere to get their “fix”. 

Great leaders tell stories that shape identity: 

  • Customer wins 

  • Moments of courage 

  • Values in action 

  • “This is who we are” decisions 

A consistent theme across The Inner Chief - in conversations with leaders like Daniel Hunter (Business NSW), Dean Hawkins (EO Lab), and Shane Russell (Havas Red) - is that culture strengthens when leaders make meaning visible. Not through dashboards, but through the stories they choose to spotlight.    

 

Rituals and traditions: the shortcut to belonging 

Rituals and traditions have existed in every tribe throughout history: songs, anthems, symbols, shared meals, ceremonies. 

In a workplace, they create rhythm and identity. They turn values from words into lived experience. 

As spiritual mentor Damien Price puts it: 

“Traditions express beyond words our common bonds, our core values, our reason for wanting to belong and our shared purpose. So often the best traditions are small and simple but speak straight to the heart of the matter.” 

At their best, rituals bring out your values and the right spirit in your team. 

But at their worst, traditions become toxic (humiliating, exclusive, misaligned) or manufactured (forced, performative, eye-roll inducing). 

The test is simple: does this ritual make people feel seen, safe, proud and connected? 

 

Five simple rituals you can borrow 

  1. Start meetings like humans. Begin with a genuine greeting, an inspiring quote, a customer story or a quick “best moment of the weekend”. 

  1. Create awards that reinforce your values. Make it a real trophy with a name that fits your team’s language. 

  1. Celebrate wins (big and small). Ring a bell, share the story, mark the moment - and keep celebrations aligned to who you are. 

  1. Induct new people with stories. Have every team member do a 1:1 with the new person and share one story about what it means to be part of the team. 

  1. Use symbols that create pride. Examples might include a crest, a team shirt, a shared symbol - something that tells a story and represents who you are. 

On The Inner Chief, Carman’s Kitchen CEO Carolyn Creswell shares their practical rituals which reinforce spirit and standards at scale - from fortnightly “Free Time” to quarterly “Love Awards”, and their annual “Love What You Do Day”. It’s a masterclass in how simple traditions can become cultural anchors.  

 

The Leader’s Job: Protect the Spirit 

As CEO, Managing Director or Head of People, your role is to protect the spirit of the business.  

Lead the traditions. Nurture them. Grow their significance over time. 

You can’t impose culture. But through credibility and consistency, you can cultivate the language, stories, rituals and traditions that make people want to belong. 

If you’re not sure where to start, simply start with the words you repeat. 

Remember, culture lives in what you say and do - not what you put on the walls.