Long before I stepped into school leadership, I learned about culture on the soccer pitch. I was fortunate to play on several highly successful teams in my youth, and even then, it was clear that talent alone did not determine success. The healthiest teams shared a deep sense of trust, accountability, belonging, and shared purpose. I also experienced the opposite. Teams with skill but poor culture rarely sustained success.
When I moved into schools, I began to notice the same patterns. Healthy and unhealthy organizational cultures were immediately visible, yet rarely named. Over nearly three decades in education, I often heard people talk about the importance of culture. What surprised me was that I never once sat in a meeting explicitly focused on examining culture or intentionally improving it.
When I became a Head of School, I knew that had to change.
One of the areas of leadership I am most proud of is the cultural work we have done at Oak Hill School. I stepped into the role during a period of significant change, and one of my first priorities was to focus on the overall health of the organization. Culture is not a “soft” concern. It shapes how people show up, how decisions are made, how conflict is handled, and ultimately how students experience school.
We created an optional, self-selected committee focused explicitly on culture, which we affectionately call the Culture Club, a lighthearted nod to the 1980s pop icon Boy George. The name matters. It signals that cultural work can be serious, meaningful, and human at the same time.
Through this committee, we have examined how we meet, how we recognize contributions, how we hire, and how we live our values day to day. Those conversations have led to tangible shifts across the organization, not just good intentions.
For school leaders, I strongly encourage creating a space where culture can be discussed openly and intentionally. Culture does not improve by accident. A helpful starting point for this work is The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups by Daniel Coyle, which offers accessible and practical insights into what strong cultures actually do differently.
When leaders invest in culture with clarity and care, the impact is lasting. Schools become healthier places to work and to learn, and that is where meaningful change begins.