Practical resources and reading you can use this week.
Worksheets, templates, playbooks, and the best books on culture — including the top books on Amazon's culture.
Worksheet
Mission Statement Worksheet
Draft a mission that filters decisions, not just decorates walls.
Sample question inside:
If your organization disappeared tomorrow, what would the world actually lose? Write it in one sentence, without using the words 'world-class,' 'innovative,' or 'leading.'
Why this works:
It's provocative, immediately useful, and signals that the worksheet goes deeper than most people expect. It filters out browsers who want a template and attracts the serious leader who wants to think.
30 min
Worksheet
Core Values Worksheet
Move from generic adjectives to behaviors people can actually do.
Sample question inside:
Think of your best employee — someone who embodies what your team is at its best. Now write down three things they do, not three things they believe. Those behaviors are your real values.
Why this works:
Reframes 'values' from adjectives (integrity, excellence) into observable actions. This is exactly the transformation the worksheet promises, demonstrated in one sentence.
45 min
Guide
Culture Assessment
A 24-question diagnostic across 8 dimensions of organizational culture.
Sample question inside:
When someone raises a concern in a meeting, what usually happens? (A) It gets addressed directly. (B) It gets acknowledged but nothing changes. (C) It gets noted and forgotten. (D) People rarely raise concerns at all.
Why this works:
It's concrete, recognizable, and makes people immediately think of a real meeting they've been in. They'll want to see the other 23 questions.
10 min
Template
Team Norms Template
Agree on how your team meets, decides, and disagrees — in writing.
Sample section inside:
Decisions: How do we decide? (Circle one: Consensus / Consent / Decider / Vote). Who has final say when we're stuck? ________________
Why this works:
Shows the format is a fill-in-the-blank working session, not a reading exercise. The 'who has final say' line surfaces a real tension most teams avoid.
60 min
Checklist
Leadership Behavior Checklist
Weekly behaviors that turn values into how leaders actually lead.
Sample item inside:
This week, did I give at least one piece of specific, behavioral feedback — not just a vague 'great job'?
Why this works:
The specificity ('behavioral,' 'not just a vague 'great job'') shows this isn't a generic leadership list. It's self-aware and a bit uncomfortable — which means it's honest.
5 min/week
Guide
Culture Rituals Guide
A library of rituals — weekly, monthly, quarterly — that reinforce culture.
Sample ritual inside:
Weekly: The 'Values Shoutout' — at the end of each all-hands, one person names a colleague who demonstrated a core value that week and explains exactly what they did. Takes 90 seconds. Changes everything.
Why this works:
It's a complete, copy-paste-ready ritual with a time estimate and a punchy closer. People will forward this to their team leads immediately.
20 min
Checklist
Onboarding Checklist
The first 30 days, designed to transmit culture, not just process.
Sample item inside:
Before the new hire reads a single policy, have their manager tell them the story of a time the team lived one of its values — and a time it didn't.
Why this works:
Most onboarding checklists start with IT setup and badge access. This signals immediately that this checklist is about culture transmission, not HR logistics.
30 days
Guide
Culture Interview Guide
How to interview for culture fit without bias — questions, red flags, and scoring rubrics.
Sample question inside:
Tell me about a time you disagreed with a decision your team made. What did you do — and what happened after?
Why this works:
Most interview questions let candidates perform. This one reveals how they actually handle conflict, dissent, and authority — the three things that make or break cultural fit.
20 min
Playbook
Manager Playbook
1:1 templates, feedback scripts, and rituals for new and experienced managers.
Sample prompt inside:
What's one thing that's slowing you down that I could remove this week?
Why this works:
It's a single, practical question any manager can use tomorrow. It shows the playbook is a working document, not a reading guide.
Self-paced
Get the Culture Starter Kit
Three of our most-used worksheets, in one bundle. Free.
Reading list
Top culture books
Curated books on how culture actually works — from psychological safety and values in action to high-performance teams and culture change.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
37 books
Book2026
Fire Starter: How to Ignite Improvement
Keith C. Norris
Keith C. Norris makes the case that the #1 job of any leader is to make things better—not through heroics, but by installing a system that produces continuous improvement every day. A practical roadmap for aligning strategy, culture, goals, and execution into a true Continuous Improvement System.
Continuous improvementLeadership systemsExecutionCulture of improvement
The Culture Playbook: 60 Highly Effective Actions to Help Your Group Succeed
Daniel Coyle
A companion field guide to The Culture Code — 60 concrete, repeatable actions leaders can take to build safety, vulnerability, and purpose in any group.
Collins identifies the disciplined habits — including the right people, confrontational facts, and a culture of discipline — that sustain great companies.
