What You Reward Is What You Reproduce
Using the Shift Matrix to Shape Culture Through Habits
Every organization has a culture. Two questions, is it healthy or unhealthy? – and – Is it intentional or accidental?
In the Shift Matrix, the Habits stage is where values get operationalized. It’s the part most execs skip, and then wonder why their “strategy” slides don’t stick past the first week of the quarter. Here’s the truth: as a C-suite leader, you don’t create culture through intention. You create it through repetition.
Habits: The Invisible Hand of the Organization
What do your people see rewarded? What gets airtime in meetings? What behavior gets celebrated, promoted—or quietly tolerated?
Because those are the signals your organization listens to. Culture is built by what leaders reinforce, not what they announce.
“You become what you give your attention to.”
—Epictetus
If you want innovation, you have to reward experimentation. If you want accountability, you have to reward ownership. If you want trust, you have to reward transparency—even when it’s messy.
Systems > Speeches
Ted Lasso didn’t change Richmond FC by yelling louder. He built rituals: the “Believe” sign, locker room banter, biscuits with the boss. Small habits. Big impact.
Your leadership team is setting the tone—on purpose or by accident.
So make it intentional.
3 Moves for Habit-Level Leadership
- Audit your rewards. What gets praised in meetings? What’s quietly ignored? Where is misbehavior rationalized because the person “delivers results”?
- Design micro-practices. Create recurring behaviors that reinforce culture: a weekly “lessons learned” moment, public kudos for cross-team wins, skip-level lunches to promote connection.
- Model visibly. Want more candor? Go first. Want more discipline? Show yours. Your habits as a leader give permission to everyone else.
The Bottom Line
Strategy is what you plan. Culture is what you practice. If you want to shift your organization, don’t just reframe the mission.
Rebuild the habits.
