Understanding Cultural Norms: Preventing Damage in OrganizationsUnderstanding Cultural Norms: Preventing Damage in Organizations
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Nsima Akpan
• 7h
The Problem With Cultures That Normalize Damage
One thing leadership stories repeatedly reveal is this:
Behavior that gets rewarded eventually becomes culture.
I once heard a story about a monkey that entertained his troop by throwing stones into a crowded marketplace below their cliffside home.
At first, everyone laughed.
So the behavior escalated.
Until one day, a stone struck a younger monkey from his own troop.
The silence afterward changed everything.
That story stayed with me because many organizations unintentionally normalize behaviors that quietly damage trust:
fear-based leadership,
internal politics,
public criticism,
or aggressive competition disguised as performance culture.
The problem is that once damage becomes normalized, its consequences rarely remain controlled.
Eventually, the culture absorbs it too.
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I help founders, executives, and creators turn experiences, ideas, and personal journeys into emotionally resonant narratives.
Specializing in memoir-style ghostwriting, reflective nonfiction, and thought leadership storytelling.
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