Senior Leadership Track - Episode 3 Carrying Culture in Every Room

So far, we’ve looked at the weight and wonder of leadership — and the difference between managing tasks and actually leading people. But today we’re turning to something that’s harder to define, but impossible to ignore.

Key Scriptures:

• Luke 6:40 – “The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.”
• 1 Timothy 4:12 – “Set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”
• Song of Songs 2:15 – “Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards.”
• Colossians 4:6 – “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt.”
  
  

Transcript

WEEK 3: CARRYING CULTURE IN EVERY ROOM.
Welcome to Week 3 of the Senior Leadership Track.
So far, we’ve looked at the weight and wonder of leadership — and the difference between managing tasks and actually leading people.
But today we’re turning to something that’s harder to define, but impossible to ignore.
Culture.
At this level, you don’t just carry out tasks — you carry the culture.
 And whether you realise it or not, you’re shaping every room you walk into — by what you allow, what you affirm, what you repeat, and what you represent.

SECTION 1: CULTURE ISN’T WHAT WE SAY — IT’S WHAT WE DO.
Let’s start with a simple truth:
Culture isn’t created by what we preach. It’s created by what we permit.
You can have vision statements on the wall, values on the website, and slogans in every huddle — but the real culture is what people feel when they walk into the room.
As senior leaders — you don’t just reflect culture, you replicate it.
Luke 6:40 says… “A student, when fully trained, will become like his teacher.”
That’s Jesus talking. He knew that people don’t copy our content — they copy our character.
What you tolerate in private, you train in public.
What you celebrate, others will elevate.
So don’t just protect our language — live it.
That’s what culture carriers do.

SECTION 2: LEADING UP, ACROSS, AND DOWN.
Culture leadership isn’t just top-down.
 As a senior leader, you lead culture:
Up to your leaders.
Across to your peers.
And down to your teams.


Let’s talk about each.
Leading up means you don’t bring problems without posture.
 You raise honest issues, but you do it with honour.
 You ask questions — not accusations.
 You assume the best. You stay submitted even when you don’t fully understand.
That’s spiritual maturity.
Leading across means you support your peers.
 You don’t compete, compare, or gossip sideways.
 You collaborate, champion, and communicate.
Because when senior leaders go passive-aggressive, vision starts leaking and unity cracks.
And leading down? That’s where your leadership is clearest.
 Because your team won’t do what you say — they’ll do what you do.
If you’re late, they’ll be later.
 If you don’t own the atmosphere, they won’t either.
 If you model joy, honour, and faith — so will they.
“Set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” — 1 Timothy 4:12
This isn’t about being perfect.
 It’s about being consistent — and aware of the ripple effect of your leadership.

SECTION 3: PROTECTING WHAT MATTERS.
There will be moments — and they’re never convenient — where the culture starts to drift.
 And you’ll feel it.
The tone in the room goes off.


The language around leadership changes.


The way people talk about others becomes casual, cutting, or cynical.


The team becomes reactive instead of faith-filled.


And as a senior leader — that’s your cue.
 Not to shut people down. But to bring it back.
Culture doesn’t correct itself.
 Someone has to name it, frame it, and reset it.
You don’t need to rebuke someone in front of a crowd.
 You just need to have a courageous, pastoral conversation — soon. Not someday.
“Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards.” — Song of Songs 2:15
It’s the little foxes that break down healthy culture.
The sideways comments.
 The bad body language in a team meeting.
 The grumbling behind a vision shift.
You have authority to carry the culture — but with it comes responsibility to protect it.

SECTION 4: WHEN YOU WALK IN THE ROOM
Let me ask you something simple, but confronting:
What happens when you walk in the room?
Do people shrink back — or lean in?
 Does the atmosphere shift toward peace — or pressure?

 You bring your culture with you.
“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt…” — Colossians 4:6
At Glow, we want rooms led by people who carry:
Honour without hype.


Strength without ego.


Joy without flakiness.


Conviction without control.


That’s the culture we want to be known for.
And you carry it — room by room, moment by moment.


CLOSING –
So as you head into the rest of your week — ask;:
Where is the culture of Glow thriving around you right now?
 And where do you sense it’s thinning?
Thanks for leaning in — I’ll see you in Week 4.