If You Build It, They Will Come... And Stay

You all know by now that I moved to San Diego in September after almost 35 years in Seattle. It was a big change, to say the least.

I've spent a lot of energy building community as I settle into my new home. I took over a running group, initiated a monthly solopreneur co-work session in my neighborhood and, last month, I invited Starbucks alumni in the area to come to a meet-up.

In each of these instances, I had no idea if people would show up.

But they did.

And they came back for more.

What I've come to realize is that people weren't just craving community — they were attracted to the culture we were building together.

A culture of:

• Respect

• Caring

• Curiosity

• Fun

• Support

• Growth

It's not unlike building culture at work. If you build a place people want to be, they keep coming back and bring others with them.

But here's the part that took me a while to get:

You don't find culture. You build it. And then you keep building it.

The running group works because someone keeps it going. The Starbucks alumni meet-up matters because someone initiates the invite. Cultures don't sustain themselves — they need a rhythm of investment.

That's been the lesson for me as a leader, too. The strongest cultures I've worked in — and the ones I help leaders build now — aren't the ones launched at a single retreat or written into an onboarding deck. They're the ones built through small, consistent acts: a quarterly check-in, an honest conversation, an annual moment to step back and ask, is this still who we are? 

It's not about starting over each year but about continuous intentional investment and evolution.

Reflecting on the culture you lead or are a part of:

• What kind of culture are you creating?

• How are you reinforcing what matters?

• Which parts are you protecting vigilantly?

• Which parts are you tolerating but need to change?

• What cultural underbellies might be quietly blocking your progress?

Building and protecting a strong culture is some of the most important, and hardest, work a leader does.