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.

The truth is, your team is always scanning for cues about what’s valued. And they take those cues from what you emphasize, especially in how you speak. Repetition signals importance. If you say “we move fast” often enough, your team will start prioritizing speed. Say “don’t ship junk,” and you’ll start seeing more polish.

It’s not just about being motivational. It’s about being consistent. In a fast-paced environment where context shifts quickly, repeated language becomes an anchor. It helps align decision-making, build shared norms and reduce ambiguity.

But here’s the trap: Leaders often underestimate how much weight their words carry. That offhand remark in a standup? It might become gospel. The phrase you use to wrap a meeting? It could turn into the team’s default lens. The gap between what you say and what you mean is where culture gets built or broken.

So the question is: What are you reinforcing without realizing it?

Your vocabulary is a cultural lever

Culture isn’t just what you believe; it’s what your team repeats when you’re not in the room. That’s why language matters.

The phrases you use consistently don’t just communicate values; they operationalize them. They become mental shortcuts for how your team makes decisions under pressure. When you say “progress over perfection” enough times, you’re not just giving permission to move fast; you’re setting a default operating mode.

This is where a lot of leaders miss the point. They try to shape culture with grand statements or one-off speeches. But it’s the recurring language that really sticks. Language is infrastructure. And like any good infrastructure, it scales, especially when it’s repeated by others.

Think of it this way: Every phrase you repeat is a line of cultural code. Use it intentionally, and you can design for clarity, accountability and speed. Let it happen by accident, and you’ll end up debugging behaviors that don’t align with your values.

If you want to shift how your team acts, start by shifting what you say.

Related: The Strongest Cultures Are Built Through Consistency. Here’s Why — and What Leaders Should Be Doing Every Day.

Create a leadership lexicon that reinforces your values

So, how do you use language to drive culture? Start by building your own leadership lexicon, not as branding, but as behavioral reinforcement.

These aren’t slogans. They’re cultural anchors. The right words, repeated with consistency and backed by action, can shape how people show up, make decisions and solve problems, even when you’re not in the room.

Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Name what matters

Start by identifying the specific behaviors that are essential to your company’s success. Not just abstract values like “integrity” or “excellence” but the day-to-day behaviors that drive progress.

Ask yourself:

• What do you praise most often?

• What frustrates you when it’s missing?

• What do high-performers consistently do well?

Maybe it’s extreme ownership — people taking responsibility beyond their swimlane. Maybe it’s speed with thoughtfulness — moving fast, but not recklessly. Maybe it’s clear communication — writing things down, closing loops, avoiding ambiguity.

Get specific. Vague values create vague behavior.

Step 2: Craft your shorthand

Once you know what behaviors matter, distill them into language your team can remember and repeat. These phrases should be short, sticky and behavior-driven, not fluffy mission statements.

Examples:

• “We own the outcome.” Ownership doesn’t stop at handoff.

• “Progress over perfection.” Momentum beats polish.

• “Write it down.” Clarity lives on paper.

• “Assume positive intent.” Trust until proven otherwise.

• “Disagree and commit.” Argue hard, then align fast.

Great phrases act like mental macros, a few words that trigger a whole set of behaviors. You don’t need a hundred of them. You need a handful that mean something and say a lot.

Step 3: Use them everywhere

Repetition turns language into culture. These phrases need to show up everywhere, not just on posters or onboarding slides.

• Say them in standups to reinforce priorities.

• Reference them in one-on-ones to coach behavior.

• Include them in performance reviews to tie outcomes to expectations.

• Drop them into Slack, Notion docs and project retros so they become ambient.

• Use them in hiring to signal what you value from day one.

The more contexts they show up in, the more your team internalizes them — not as rules, but as shared instincts.

Over time, you’ll hear your team start to echo the language back. That’s when you know it’s working. It’s not just what you say; it’s what they say to each other that builds culture at scale.

Related: Company Culture Comes From Good Leadership

The words you repeat as a leader do more than communicate; they compound. They shape how your team thinks, how they act and what they believe is expected of them.

So, edit your language with intention. Build a vocabulary that reflects the culture you want — and then live it, say it, reinforce it until it sticks.

Because if you’re not defining the culture in your words, something else will.