Excuse #5: We'll Focus After The Crisis

Leaders often defer culture, saying: “We’ll focus on it once we’re past this crisis.”

It feels rational, when the house is on fire, you grab the hose, not the blueprints. But culture is both the fireproofing and the water pressure. Waiting until after a crisis is waiting until it’s too late.

The Real Challenge

This excuse assumes crises are temporary and culture can be “paused.” But disruption is constant, whether it’s supply chain shocks, workforce shifts, or AI-driven change. Postponing culture means facing every crisis weaker than the last. Culture work is important work that rarely feels urgent. If it feels urgent, then we are already in trouble. 

Wise leaders are proactive in their culture development.

The Consequence

McKinsey’s HR Monitor 2025 found that 26% of employees received "no feedback in the past year" (McKinsey, 2025). In times of stress, those gaps deepen, leaving employees isolated. Meanwhile, PwC’s Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey 2024 shows more than half of employees feel there is “too much change happening at once,” creating change fatigue and eroding trust (PwC, 2024; Udemy, Global Learning & Skills Trends Report, 2025).

Organizations that neglect culture in crisis end up with burned-out staff, disengaged leaders, and eroded trust. By contrast, research shows that healthy organizations (those that invest in culture and leadership) improve EBITDA (Earnings before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization) by 18% within a year (McKinsey, Organizational Health, 2024).

The Reframe

Instead of saying, “We’ll deal with culture after the crisis,” leaders can reframe to: “We’ll invest in culture consistently (maybe even as a core value), so we can face this crisis together.”

Strong cultures don’t ignore crises; they prepare for them. When we anchor our people in values and shared purpose, we are enabling resilience.

A Practical Step

In your next crisis-response meeting, spend five minutes naming the cultural values guiding your response. For example, “We’re choosing transparency to reduce uncertainty.” This practice keeps people grounded and strengthens trust when it matters most.

Culture isn’t a post-crisis luxury. It’s the strategy that ensures you come out stronger on the other side.