Culture Grows In Everyday Interactions
- Michael Troxell
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Culture is not built by grand gestures. Culture Grows In Everyday Interactions. It is shaped in the moments many people walk past. The hallway smile. The calm reply. The unexpected thank you email. The quiet acknowledgment that says, “I see you. You matter.”
If you want to know what your culture really is, look at the moments you are not planning, scripting, or saving for special occasions. Birthdays and holidays are meaningful, but they will never outweigh what you consistently do during the ordinary days of the year.
I learned this long before I ever stepped into leadership. I learned it in my marriage.
Years ago, I discovered that a healthy relationship is not sustained by big vacations or dramatic gestures. It is strengthened by the little attentions. The smiles across the room. The gentle touches. The kind words spoken when one of us is tired or discouraged. The moments of listening to frustration, sadness, or confusion. The meandering conversations that may not solve anything but keep us connected.
Doing the laundry. Cleaning the house. Rubbing her shoulders or feet after a long day. Taking our daily walks. Reading and dreaming together as we drive across the country. None of these moments are impressive on their own, but together they form something enormous. Like a jigsaw puzzle where each small piece looks insignificant until you step back and see the picture they create.
Our relationship has weathered many large challenges over the years, but it was the steady accumulation of small things that built the foundation strong enough to hold us.
Leadership works the exact same way.
The best leaders I have known did not wait for big wins, formal reviews, or strategic milestones to recognize their people. They celebrated small progress. They noticed effort that was easy to overlook. They affirmed someone’s growth even when the result was not perfect. They created a culture where encouragement was not a tactic. It was the air people breathed.
Every team has people carrying invisible weight. They are managing family pressures, workload strain, self-doubt, and quiet worries about whether they measure up. Your words, your tone, and your presence on an ordinary Monday can either reinforce that pressure or lighten it.
If you want a stronger culture, here is the most practical starting point: become a person who notices.
You do not need a recognition program. You need a habit.
Try this for the next week:
Catch someone doing something thoughtful and commend them.
Name a specific growth point you have seen in someone over the past month.
Send one unexpected encouragement message a day.
Pause and ask a real question instead of walking past someone in the hallway.
Celebrate progress, not just outcomes.
People grow where they feel seen.
Teams flourish where small moments are honored.
And culture transforms when leaders remember that everyday interactions matter far more than big celebrations.
In families, in friendships, and in organizations, the principle is the same: the little things carry the biggest meaning.
🎧 Listen to the podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1MkTejjovrAoydmCoJd8fg?si=_wh_2m5sR8q4tsDRUfogXA