Changing Culture One Thought at a Time by Kristina Schmitt, Owner of Kristina Schmitt Development
while managing your own internal resistance at the same time. This internal tug-of-war is what makes cultural change so challenging. When a team pushes back, it’s easy for a leader to retreat to familiar routines and abandon the new direction. That tension — between old norms and new goals — is why teams often get stuck. But cultural change is possible. Here are a few tips to help you succeed: 1. Set a goal for the culture you want. A culture change goal requires the same level of planning, support, and commitment as any technical goal. Build a solid plan that includes multiple phases and milestones. 2. Break the change into small, prioritized goals over 3 to 12 months. Lasting behaviour change takes time — usually 3 to 6 months per habit. Identify your top 2–3 focus areas and tackle one at a time. Patience and consistency are key. 3. Support your leaders. Leaders face the same mental and emotional resistance as their teams. Make sure they’re supported — whether through senior leadership, peer collaboration, or an external coach. 4. Follow up and keep the momentum going. Change requires accountability. Check in regularly on progress, celebrate wins, and identify the next steps before a goal wraps up. Culture is never ‘set it and forget it’ — it’s an ongoing journey. If you’re ready to build a stronger culture and want support for yourself and your leadership team, I’d love to help. Reach out at www.kristinaschmitt.ca.
“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” We all know this quote rings true, but change isn’t always as simple as ‘just do it’. Our actions are shaped by the thoughts and feelings we have about a task or behaviour — and many of those were formed in childhood. If we want lasting change, we have to ‘rewire’ our thinking and rewrite the internal stories we’ve attached to those actions. This starts with changing our thoughts. The good news? We can control our thoughts. With time and support, new behaviours are possible. The same principle applies to workplace teams and families. The challenge? We can’t control other people’s thoughts. If we want to shift a culture, we must lead by example and support others as they work through their own resistance. Take a simple example: imagine you want your family to start going for walks after dinner instead of spending it as screen time. As the leader, you must begin the practice and invite the rest of the ‘team’ along. Naturally, they may resist at first. They likely have ingrained thoughts and feelings about the new routine. Your job is to support the change by listening, understanding, and coaching them through the barriers —
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