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When The Vision Breaks Down In The Middle.
Here’s a hard truth I didn’t want to admit for a long time.
My vision as CEO doesn’t shape our culture.
Our managers do.
I can spend weeks crafting a clear vision with our executive team. I can align Directors, pressure-test strategy, and stand in front of the entire company to share where we’re going and why it matters. I can communicate it with passion, conviction, and clarity.
But if that vision isn’t carried by managers—if it’s not reinforced in one-on-ones, team meetings, feedback conversations, and everyday decisions—it doesn’t last.
It fades.
And that’s where most leaders lose their culture. Not at the top, but in the space between strategy and execution. In the middle, where vision either takes root or quietly breaks down.
Managers sit closest to your people.
They shape how leadership decisions are experienced day to day. They translate strategy into action. They give meaning to values through their behavior, not just their words. For most employees, their manager is the company.
That makes managers both the strongest carrier of culture and the greatest risk to it.
Here’s where it gets complicated.
Not every leader knows how to equip managers to lead instead of simply manage. Not every manager sees themselves as a steward of culture. Many are high performers who were promoted without leadership development. Others are exceptional executors but uncertain coaches. Some are simply overwhelmed, buried in tasks, and struggling to lift their heads long enough to think about people development.
The gap doesn’t exist because of bad intentions.
It exists because we assumed alignment would trickle down.
It doesn’t.
Culture doesn’t cascade automatically. It has to be interpreted, reinforced, and protected—especially in the middle.
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I had to get honest about something that changed how I lead.
Culture can’t be delegated. It has to be reinforced at every level, and it has to be watched carefully where it’s most vulnerable.
So we stopped assuming alignment and started inspecting it.
That meant equipping leaders not only to hit KPIs, but to develop managers. It meant making culture a standing topic in leadership meetings and one-on-ones. It meant talking explicitly about how vision shows up in real decisions, not just presentations.
One of the most impactful shifts we made was implementing skip-level conversations. Once a year, I meet directly with managers and their teams—people I don’t interact with regularly, but whose influence shapes the daily experience of our organization.
Those conversations became clarity checkpoints.
They showed me where vision was landing clearly and where it was getting lost in translation. They exposed gaps between what leadership intended and what teams were actually experiencing. They gave me the opportunity to reinforce what matters most directly, not filtered through layers.
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When we started intentionally supporting managers, everything shifted.
Outcomes improved, but more importantly, teams became healthier. Communication got clearer. Trust deepened. People felt more anchored in the why behind their work.
Because people don’t just need information.
They need interpretation.
They need a leader who can sit with them and say, “Here’s what this means for us.”
Managers hold the mic.
And if they’re not speaking the same language of vision and culture, you lose the room—no matter how strong the message was at the top.
Now, when I cast vision for a new season or roll out a major initiative, I know exactly where to look to ensure it lands. Not just at the Executive or Director level, but in the middle, where culture either multiplies or fractures.
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What it is: A skip-level rhythm is a planned conversation with leaders two levels below you—people whose influence you don’t see every day, but whose leadership shapes the organization’s reality.
Why it helps: Skip-levels reveal culture drift early. They keep you connected to what’s really happening, reinforce leadership presence, and help ensure your vision is understood where it matters most.
How to Do It:
Work with your EA to schedule one skip-level per team annually. Rotate managers across departments or regions over time. Use the conversation to listen more than you speak. Ask questions like, “What do you think matters most to leadership right now?” and pay attention to where clarity or confusion shows up. Reinforce values, clarify direction, and acknowledge the responsibility managers carry.
If vision is breaking down in the middle, that’s not a failure. It’s a signal.
And it’s one you’re responsible for addressing.
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If you want the margin to reinforce vision where it truly lives. . .
Download my FREE 40-Hour CEO Workweek Planning Guide. It’s designed to help you protect time for the work only you can do—like shaping culture and developing leaders.
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"You can’t outsource the culture check. If it’s breaking in the middle, it’s your job to look closer." - Tricia. |
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