The Urgent Work That Few Are Prioritizing: Culture, Trust, and the Long Game

When something is both important and invisible, it’s easy to ignore, until it breaks.

That’s what culture often is. The silent operating system beneath every decision, conflict, promotion, and departure, and yet, in moments of stress, budget pressure, or leadership change, it’s the first thing we push aside.

Here’s the truth: culture work rarely feels urgent — until the cost of not doing it becomes unbearable.

We see the symptoms everywhere. Quiet quitting. Rising absenteeism. Low trust. Misaligned teams. Leaders burning out under the weight of performance metrics with no people support. According to Gallup, low engagement is costing the global economy $8.9 trillion a year — nearly 9% of global GDP.

We’re seeing trust erode. Trust in immediate managers has dropped to just 29%, the lowest it’s been in years. Without trust, no strategy can stick. No team can thrive. No leader can lead effectively.

Culture isn’t the soft stuff. It’s the scalable stuff.

Yet 92% of HR leaders report facing resistance when trying to implement people-first strategies. Why? Because culture doesn’t show immediate ROI. It doesn’t fix a budget shortfall or hit next quarter’s growth targets, but it’s the very thing that makes those targets sustainable over time.

Proactive culture development is the long game, and it’s one we can’t afford to keep delaying.

At Straza Solutions, we’re launching a leadership program for forward-thinking executives who know culture is not “nice to have", it’s the legacy they’ll be remembered for. Our one-year Executive Leadership Program is designed to equip high-potential leaders with the mindset, tools, and courage to shape culture with intention.

Reflective Questions for Leaders:

• What “important but not urgent” cultural work keeps getting pushed off your agenda?

• How is your organization equipping leaders to build trust, not just compliance?

• What kind of culture are you unintentionally reinforcing by doing nothing?