the culture code.

I was reminded about this book in a recent YouTube video that I was watching about psychological safety; a topic I have an unsatiable appetite for.  I was familiar with some of the other references but had never picked up this book. I can honestly say that I am so glad that I now have.  I have talked about its content with several of the leaders I have been coaching so far this year.

You’ll likely have heard the “Culture eats strategy for breakfast” quote from Peter Drucker, but just how do you shape up the right culture. Culture is undoubtedly one of the most important levers that a leader must aim to understand and build.

In The Culture Code, Daniel Coyle offers one of the clearest, most practical guides available on how leaders can intentionally shape environments where people collaborate deeply, speak up courageously and deliver exceptional results.

Drawing from world‑class organisations, including sports teams, creative giants, military units and research labs, Coyle’s message for leaders is simple:

Great culture isn’t an accident. It’s the result of consistently practised behaviours.

For leaders serious about strengthening their team’s cohesion, performance and resilience, this book provides a highly actionable roadmap.

The Three Skills Every Leader Must Build

Coyle distils the essence of successful cultures into three core leadership skills:

1. Build Safety

2. Share Vulnerability

3. Establish Purpose

These skills are not theoretical—they’re behavioural. Leaders demonstrate them through hundreds of small actions that signal how their teams should behave, interact and think.

 Skill 1: Build Safety (The Leadership Foundation)

High‑performing teams start with psychological safety, the sense that people belong, matter and can speak honestly without fear. Coyle shows leaders that safety isn’t soft; it’s strategic. It unlocks the candour, creativity and energy every team needs.

As Coyle unpacks this first skill, I particularly enjoyed reading about the leadership of Gregg Popvich, Coach of the San Antonio Spurs. His leadership lesson for every senior leader is deceptively simple: great teams break bread together.

Popovich uses shared meals as a leadership tool to:

• break down hierarchy

• hold candid conversations

• show appreciation and care

• foster trust and connection

This practice will resonate strongly with leaders from operational or emergency settings, where crews, like those in fire stations, bond through everyday rituals. It’s a reminder that culture is built through human moments, not memos. Something to think about if you are leading a remote or hybrid team. 

Safety is communicated through micro‑behaviours: warmth, attentiveness, recognition, listening and consistency. Leaders set the tone through the smallest interactions.

Here are some coaching questions from me, inspired by this book, to get you thinking about Safety in your workplace.

1. How do you show people they belong on this team?

2. What do you do that helps people feel safe to speak up?

3. Where might people feel excluded or unsure?

4. How do you build connection in everyday moments?

5. How do you welcome new people so they feel valued quickly?

 Skill 2: Share Vulnerability

Coyle’s second skill challenges traditional leadership stereotypes. Strength isn’t demonstrated through invulnerability; it’s shown through openness, honesty and the willingness to go first.

Teams trust leaders who are human, transparent and accountable.

In this skill section, I literally stopped and re-read the part about the Allen Curve. It was a kind of “well that’s obvious” moments; people talk less the further apart they are. Of course that would be the case.

That’s what is at  the heart of the Allen Curve, discovered by MIT Professor Thomas J. Allen in the late 1970s, showing that communication drops sharply as distance increases.  However, if we believe this to be true then what impact is hybrid and remote working have on the communication, collaboration and therefore culture of your team.

Even in the age of email, video calls and Slack, the pattern still holds: the more we see someone, the more we communicate with them, in every channel

Communication and collaboration drop sharply with even small increases in distance. This should matter deeply to modern leaders navigating hybrid or dispersed work.

The leadership implications are clear:

• Create intentional moments of connection

• Increase visibility of work

• Remove barriers to spontaneous communication

Culture does not thrive in isolation.

Many thought leaders lean into Military examples when exploring leadership and this book is no exception. Coyle referenced the elite Navy SEAL Team Six who model vulnerability through “After-Action Reviews”. Leaders openly admit mistakes and invite critique. This behaviour signals:

• humility

• courage

• commitment to learning

• psychological safety

When leaders show vulnerability, teams follow.

Here are some other coaching questions I’ve written to get you thinking about your own levels of vulnerability:

1. How often do you admit mistakes or ask for help?

2. How do you respond when someone else shows vulnerability?

3. What routine helps your team talk openly about what’s working and what isn’t?

4. When did you last say, “I don’t know” or “I was wrong”?

5. How can you help your team rely on each other more?

 Skill 3: Establish Purpose

Purpose is not a slogan. It’s a constant stream of signals that help teams understand what matters most. Strong cultures reinforce purpose through stories, rituals, symbols and repeated behaviours.

I have read a lot about Pixar already so I was delighted to read more about them here.

Pixar provides a powerful model for leaders who want to align creativity with discipline.

Purpose is embedded into:

• daily feedback through their Brain Trust approach

• physical space using visible story boards

• shared narratives about past mistakes and successes

For leaders, the lesson is clear: purpose must be visible, repeated and reinforced, especially when the work becomes difficult.

Here is a set of questions to get you thinking about Purpose in your workplace:

1. What story do you tell that helps people understand why the work matters?

2. Do people know the top priority right now?

3. What habits or rituals reinforce your purpose?

4. How do you highlight behaviours that show your culture at its best?

5. What simple cue could help people make better decisions?

Leadership Actions: Practical Behaviours You Can Apply Immediately

I love clear summaries in books like this and Coyle closes each section of the book with a set of simple practices that any leader can use to strengthen culture.

Here are some highlights:

To Build Safety

• Send clear belonging cues (warm welcomes, active listening, consistent appreciation).

• Create rituals of connection, especially shared meals or informal gatherings.

• Reduce status barriers and make people feel valued from day one.

To Share Vulnerability

• Model open, honest behaviour by going first in admitting mistakes.

• Introduce short, structured debriefs.

• Encourage fast, candid, two‑way feedback.

To Establish Purpose

• Use stories and examples to bring mission and values to life.

• Reinforce behaviours that align with high standards.

• Provide simple cues (“This is the priority”, “Here’s what great looks like”).

These tools are practical, low‑cost and entirely in a leader’s control.

Why I recommend this book:

This book is highly practical (something we value in our own BOMA delivery methods), engaging and a strong addition to your understanding of culture. Treat yourself to a copy! The Culture Code does not overwhelm with theory. It gives leaders a language, a framework and a set of behaviours that can be implemented immediately.

The case studies from those that I have mentioned here, to many more, bring the ideas to life and act as memorable prompts for real-world leadership action.

For leaders seeking to build trust, increase performance and create a team where people genuinely want to do their best work, Coyle’s book is a must‑read.