Narrator: How does an engineering titan, a global symbol of safety and excellence, fall so far that its name becomes synonymous with tragedy? In 2018 and 2019, two brand-new Boeing 737 MAX jets fell from the sky, killing 346 people. The immediate cause was a faulty sensor and flawed software, but the real story ran much deeper. Investigators uncovered a catastrophic cultural decay. A company once driven by engineering prowess had shifted its focus to cutting costs and boosting shareholder value, silencing engineers who raised safety concerns and prioritizing speed over quality. The crashes weren't just a mechanical failure; they were an organizational one.

This devastating collapse reveals a fundamental truth that most leaders overlook at their peril. In his book, Culture Is the Way, former NFL linebacker and leadership consultant Matt Mayberry argues that culture isn't a soft, secondary concern. It is the core operating system of any organization, the invisible force that dictates whether a company achieves speed, impact, and excellence, or spirals into disaster.

Narrator: Many leaders treat culture like an afterthought—something to focus on after the "real work" of strategy and sales is done. Mayberry argues this is a fatal mistake. He illustrates this with the story of Coach Terry Hoeppner, who took over the Indiana University football program when it was the laughingstock of its conference. The team had a deeply ingrained losing culture.

Instead of just recruiting new talent or designing new plays, Coach Hep, as he was known, focused obsessively on changing the team's mindset. He shared inspiring poems and quotes, constantly painting a picture of a winning future. He instilled new beliefs and behaviors, transforming the team's identity from the inside out. Even after Coach Hep tragically passed away, the team carried his vision forward. That season, they went to a Bowl game for the first time in fourteen years. They didn't have dramatically different players, but they had a different culture. As one sports journalist noted about the best coaches, "Turns out, culture isn't a buzzword to them. It's bedrock."

Narrator: If culture is so powerful, why do so many leaders get it wrong? Mayberry identifies several "dilemma traps." The most common is the "Shiny Object Syndrome," where leaders get distracted by new initiatives and neglect the consistent, difficult work of culture building. They fall for the misconception that "Culture Is Not Sexy" because it doesn't offer immediate, tangible results.

The consequences of this neglect are starkly illustrated by the Boeing disaster. But the opposite is also true. In 2006, Ford Motor Company was on the brink of collapse, losing billions of dollars. They hired a new CEO, Alan Mulally, who came from Boeing. Mulally’s first and primary focus was not on cars, but on culture. He relentlessly pushed his "One Ford Team" vision, breaking down toxic internal rivalries and fostering collaboration. He made it clear that the company's revival depended on its people working together with a shared purpose. By making culture the primary focus from day one, Mulally engineered one of the greatest turnarounds in corporate history, proving that a healthy culture is the engine of resilience and success.

Narrator: Mayberry insists that a great culture must be a defined culture. It can't be a vague feeling; it must be a clear, shared understanding of what the organization stands for. The first step in this process is creating a Cultural Purpose Statement (CPS). This isn't a mission or vision statement, but a short, powerful mantra that defines the organization's core cultural identity.

He shares the story of Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits of Illinois (SGWS-IL). The company was successful but lacked a unified culture. During a leadership session, after much debate, one leader suggested the phrase, "Get Better Today… Together." The motto instantly resonated. It became their North Star, guiding them through the immense challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CPS wasn't just a slogan on a wall; it became a new paradigm for how they operated, fostering collaboration and a commitment to continuous improvement that allowed them to have one of their best years ever during a global crisis.

Narrator: A great cultural purpose statement is useless if it doesn't translate into action. Mayberry stresses that implementation must be "top-down directed, but bottom-up created." Leaders must set the vision, but they must engage the hearts and minds of all employees to build it. The foundation for this is psychological safety.

Research from Google's "Project Aristotle" famously found that the single most important factor in high-performing teams was not talent or structure, but psychological safety—an environment where team members feel safe to take risks, speak up, and admit mistakes. Without this, feedback is insincere and true collaboration is impossible. Leaders must create this safety and then empower their teams to help build the culture. This involves creating a "playbook" that turns values into specific, repeatable daily behaviors, ensuring that every manager and employee has their fingerprints on the culture being built.

Narrator: Culture is not a project with an end date; it's a garden that requires constant tending. Mayberry argues that leaders must be "fanatical" about sustaining the culture. This means giving it continuous attention, nurturing it, and ensuring consistency between words and actions. The ultimate differentiator, he states, is leadership.

The story of Dan Cathy, former CEO of Chick-fil-A, perfectly captures this. Early in his career, a customer survey revealed deep dissatisfaction. Cathy's first instinct was to pressure his store operators. But his approach changed after reading a book that said, "What is in the business is a reflection of leadership." He realized the problem wasn't his team; it was him. He had to grow as a leader first. As he focused on his own development and became a better leader, the entire company improved. This illustrates Mayberry's central point: leaders don't just build a culture; they are the culture.

Narrator: While a positive culture leads to happier, more engaged employees, Mayberry is clear that this is a byproduct, not the primary goal. The ultimate purpose of culture is to drive winning behaviors that lead to commercial execution. Culture and strategy must be inextricably linked.

Disney is a masterclass in this principle. Their "commercial DNA" is about creating positive, emotional, once-in-a-lifetime experiences. This isn't just a nice idea; it's a strategic driver. Mayberry tells the story of a family with an autistic son visiting Disney World. The son had a special gluten-free diet and loved apple pancakes. When the executive chef, Chef Bea, learned this, she found she didn't have the right ingredients. Instead of offering an alternative, she left the park, went to a grocery store on her own time, and bought the ingredients herself. The next morning, she personally made the apple pancakes for the boy. That act of extraordinary service wasn't just "being nice." It was Disney's culture in action, perfectly executing on their commercial strategy and creating customers for life.

Narrator: The single most important takeaway from Culture Is the Way is that culture is not an HR initiative or a "soft skill." It is the organization's most powerful strategic tool for driving performance. It is the invisible architecture that determines how people behave, how decisions are made, and whether a company thrives or fails. A strong strategy with a weak culture will always lose to a decent strategy with a world-class culture.

Mayberry’s work challenges every leader to stop delegating culture and to embrace their role as the "Chief Culture Driver." The book leaves us with a critical question, not of if our organization has a culture, but whether that culture is being built with intention and purpose, or is simply happening by default. The answer to that question will ultimately determine our future.