Every business has a culture. For some, it’s a living, breathing entity that drives success, talent retention, and brand loyalty. For others, it's a set of inspiring words on a wall that no one quite lives by. The real challenge isn't creating a culture; it's embedding it so deeply that it becomes the ultimate brand differentiator. This is about moving beyond slogans and into daily action - what we call "walking the talk."

In early June we were lucky enough to share a roundtable with a select group of FTSE leaders, to dive into the challenge of sustaining culture. This follows the FRC’s latest guidance, tasking Boards with the job of not just defining and monitoring culture, but of ensuring its genuinely embedded inside the business too.

A company's culture is its most powerful asset. When employees, customers, and partners experience a consistent set of values in every interaction, it builds an incredible amount of trust. An authentic, lived culture:

Define: Start by clearly defining your desired culture, capturing the behaviours, attitudes and ways of working you need in order to deliver for your business strategy (and for your customers).

Embed: Once defined, you must take a ‘start to finish’ approach to embedding the desired culture right across the employee journey. This means integrating your cultural values into everything you do from attraction and recruitment through to offboarding and alumni.

Sustain: Culture isn’t a one-and-done exercise, it needs continuous monitoring, assessment and reinforcement - to ensure your culture is protected and sustained for the long term.

Throughout all, the tone from the top and the actions of leaders and managers play a crucial role. Equally, identifying and highlighting quick wins and early successes helps to generate momentum and build belief. But don’t think you have to do this all by yourself: employee champions and influencers are invaluable.

To find out more about how you can embed your culture please get in touch at [email protected].