The Moments That Show Culture Has Taken Root

There is a moment in every school turnaround when leaders stop asking, How do we get people to do the right thing? and begin asking a much better question: How do we build a community where people instinctively choose one another?

Recently, a colleague of mine who coaches a men's college soccer team shared a story that perfectly illustrates the difference between compliance and culture.

During a match, one of his players was taking a relentless beating from an opposing player. Every challenge seemed to end with another shove, another elbow, another unnecessary hit. The referee wasn't calling any of it.

During a timeout, the coach pulled the player aside and gave him a simple instruction. If the aggressive play continued, he would yell "Cai," the Portuguese word for fall. When he heard it, the player should go to the ground. The coach hoped it would force the referee to stop play and finally acknowledge what everyone else on the field could already see.

The whistle blew, play resumed, and before long the same player was being attacked again.

From the sideline, the coach shouted, "Cai! Cai! Cai!"

What happened next wasn't part of the plan. His player wasn't the only one who fell. Every player on his team dropped to the ground. The match came to an immediate halt. The referee stood there confused. The opposing team looked around in disbelief. Even the coach was stunned.

No one had been instructed to join in. They simply knew one thing: one of their teammates had been under attack all afternoon. When they heard their coach call out, they instinctively responded together. That wasn't strategy. That wasn't compliance. That was culture.

Rules create compliance.

Emotions create commitment.

Commitment is what creates culture.

Schools are filled with rules, expectations, procedures, and systems. They matter. They create consistency, establish safety, and provide clarity. But rules alone don't create culture.

Culture shows itself in the moments no handbook could ever anticipate. I was reminded of that this week while having a difficult conversation with one of my teachers.

Because of circumstances completely beyond our control, we suddenly needed someone to move to a different grade level just days before the school year. It wasn't convenient. It wasn't part of anyone's plans.

Yet, she accepted the move with grace, optimism, and professionalism. Instead of focusing on what she was giving up, she immediately began talking about the opportunities it would create and the positive impact she could have in her new role.

This teacher had once questioned the turnaround. She has become one of the people holding it together.

No policy required that response. No evaluation measured it. No administrator could have demanded it. Culture did.

That is what people often misunderstand about school turnaround. Culture isn't built through motivational speeches or clever slogans. It isn't created because everyone attended the same professional development or because a new initiative was introduced. Culture is built in thousands of ordinary moments. It's built when teachers assume positive intentions instead of the worst. It's built when someone volunteers before they're asked. It's built when colleagues defend people who aren't in the room. It's built when laughter fills the workroom after a difficult day. It's built when people celebrate each other's successes without needing recognition themselves.

Most importantly, it's built when people begin thinking less about my classroom, my schedule, or my inconvenience, and more about our students, our team, and our mission.

Eventually, something remarkable happens. You stop having to convince people to help. You stop reminding people to support one another. You stop managing every act of teamwork. People simply begin living the values of the organization because those values have become part of who they are.

That's what happened on the soccer field. One player needed support, and the entire team responded. Not because they had been told to. They couldn't imagine doing anything else.

That's the kind of culture every school leader should strive to build. A place where people work together, laugh together, celebrate together, and stand up for people who aren't in the room.

And when one member of the team needs everyone else...

...all it takes is someone yelling, "Cai."