Leading for Unity: Shaping Culture One Interaction at a Time
When we talk about unity, leaders often picture big, dramatic moments: the offsite retreat, the big strategy announcement, the team-building ropes course. Those moments have value, but they don’t create unity on their own.
Unity is built (or broken) in the everyday interactions between leaders and their people.
What Unity Really Looks Like
Unity doesn’t mean everyone is best friends or laughs at the same jokes.
True unity means people are working toward common goals with respect for each other. It can look like different people tackling different tasks, but all of it aligned toward a shared objective.
It’s less about “pal-ism” and more about respect, alignment, and shared accomplishment.
A Lesson from the Bat Cave
I experienced this while managing a software quality team.
Our office was short on space, so the QA team got moved to a converted server room on the second floor. It had no windows, less privacy, and at times we had to share desks. At first, we were frustrated. It felt like a second-rate space.
But being physically close created more daily interactions. We focused on a few critical goals and made significant progress. We ate lunch together, even played board games together, and the team grew much closer. Over a decade later, we all still look back fondly of this time together, and affectionately call the space the “bat cave”.
At the same time, our distance from the developer team had the opposite effect. Over time, as new people joined, the QA and dev teams grew less connected. When we eventually moved back into a shared space, the lack of integration was obvious (and hard to undo).
That experience taught me that unity can grow or erode through small, daily patterns, and not just from major events.
Where Leaders Go Wrong
Leaders sometimes try to force unity with one-off activities: a lunch, a ropes course, a single “culture event.”
But unity isn’t a box you can check. Without intentional daily leadership, these events feel shallow or fake. Leaders who don’t invest in truly knowing their people will struggle to build lasting unity.
As The Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey reminds us:
“Trust is built on small moments, not grand gestures.”
The same is true for unity.
Everyday Practices That Build Unity
Here are a few simple but powerful ways leaders can create unity one interaction at a time:
Listen well. Maintain eye contact, ask questions, and show genuine interest.
Remember details. Bring up things your people have shared with you. It shows you value them.
Make time. If someone needs you and you’re busy, schedule a time. Don’t brush them off. Follow through.
Be present. In conversations, resist the urge to multitask. Presence builds respect.
These practices may seem small, but over time they create an environment of trust, empathy, and alignment - all the foundations of unity.
Final Thought
Unity isn’t built in annual events or big moments. It’s built one conversation, one act of listening, one small interaction at a time.
As a leader, you don’t have to manufacture unity with dramatic gestures. You just need to show up consistently in the little things.
Because in the end, those little things aren’t little. They’re what hold a team together.
Curious about how your leadership habits are shaping unity and trust? Try the free Fail-Safe Leadership Assessment — a simple way to uncover growth opportunities.