Culture Changes from Subtle Tolerance

Tolerance.

It’s human nature to grow numb to the subtleties of life. What initially felt jarring fades into the background, becoming routine, unremarkable—just noise.

This shift in attention is natural. But what happens when it creates blind spots? When “normal” becomes tacit agreement? When complacency lets dysfunction thrive?

Last weekend, I was at my daughter’s soccer game, soaking in the excitement—kids playing, parents cheering, the rhythm of competition. Then—pop-pop-pop. Gunshots. Loud. Repetitive. Unrelenting.

I was 45 minutes from home, alone in an unfamiliar area. My instincts surged. Get out. Find my daughter. Protect. I scanned the crowd, expecting alarm—but no one reacted.

Panic fought logic. My mind raced through escape routes. Sprint onto the field, grab my daughter and her friend, and “G.I. Jane” it to safety. What was happening? Why was I the only one on edge?

Then, as the shots continued, I realized—someone was target shooting nearby. The noise invariably softened, my awareness shifted, and just like that, I refocused on the game. 

Fear, neutralized. A new normal, accepted.

We do this all the time—especially in the workplace. At first, we are hyper-aware of negativity. We push back, speak up, and try to shift the culture. But over time? We let it go. “That’s just the way it/he/she is.” And before we know it: 

What once felt intolerable becomes part of the landscape.

This is how culture erodes. Not in an instant, but in small, quiet moments of surrender.

Microshifts of the culture.

But here’s the thing—you get to decide what becomes normal. You get to challenge complacency. You get to shift the energy. You are not the victim, you are the leader.

So, ask yourself: What are you normalizing? And is it serving you—or silently destroying what you care about most?

Culture doesn’t happen by chance—it’s built with intention. It requires attention to detail, a relentless commitment to not normalizing the subtleties that erode its foundation.

I firmly believe that “the devil is in the details.” Culture thrives—or crumbles—based on our willingness to hold ourselves and others accountable, engage in tough conversations, and resist the pull of complacency.

My Challenge to You: 

• What are you silently tolerating that a year ago would have been unacceptable?

• What’s standing in the way of accountability? If that’s the barrier, here’s a great resource to support you.

• Want to build a culture that lasts? Read Culture Eats Strategy for Lunch—a powerful roadmap for creating an environment where excellence isn’t optional, it’s expected.

Culture is always shifting. The question is—are you shaping it, or letting it shape you?