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Key Takeaways Language is one of the most powerful levers for shaping culture. The words you repeat (without even realizing it) set the tone for how teams think, communicate and act.
Repeated phrases operationalize values, setting default behaviors and norms that stand even when you’re not in the room.
To drive culture with your language, identify the behaviors that are essential to your company’s success, distill them into phrases your team can remember and repeat, and use them everywhere.
Culture isn’t built in company offsites. It’s built in the micro-moments; the quick calls, the team huddles, the words you repeat without even realizing it.
Every founder has a few go-to phrases. Maybe it’s “own the outcome” or “progress over perfection.” Maybe it’s “tighten the loop” or “we write it down.” At first, they sound like shorthand. Over time, they become doctrine.
In my time as the founder of ButterflyMX, I’ve observed that the language leaders use most often sets the tone for how teams think, communicate and act. And if you’re not being intentional about that language, you’re missing one of your most powerful levers for shaping culture.
Related: Words Matter: Tips to Boost Leadership Communications
Why language matters more than we think
Startup culture tends to get romanticized: ping-pong tables, mission statements, quirky rituals. But in practice, culture is far less visible and far more verbal.
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