by Julie Tuggle-Nguyen
Part 3 in the Building Culture Series
Company culture isn’t built overnight — it’s shaped by the small, intentional actions you take every day. The conversations you have and the behaviors you celebrate create the environment where your people work and grow. And few things shape that environment as powerfully as storytelling.
Why Stories Matter
Policies set expectations, but stories inspire action — and that’s what truly builds culture. Stories help employees understand not just what to do, but why it matters. They connect people to the company’s purpose, its history, and its future.
When you use storytelling during onboarding, you give new hires a sense of belonging from day one. Hearing the company’s origin story or examples of customer impact helps them see the bigger picture and understand how their role contributes to it. That early connection builds loyalty, engagement, and retention.
Stories also bring company values to life. They make abstract principles concrete, create emotional resonance, and show employees what “living the culture” looks like in action. Over time, these shared narratives turn a group of individuals into a unified team, aligned around a common mission and motivated to achieve shared goals.
What Makes a Good Story
Not every story shapes culture. The most powerful ones:
- Spark emotion. They make people feel inspired, proud, or moved — like they’re part of something bigger.
- Show values in action. The most meaningful narratives demonstrate your company’s values and purpose using real examples.
- Connect to employee experiences, so they can see themselves in the company’s story.
When something goes right — a customer is delighted, a process is improved, or a team overcomes a challenge — share it. These are moments that define your culture.
Symbols and Celebrations: Making Stories Tangible
Stories become even more powerful when they’re paired with symbols and celebrations that employees can see, touch, and experience. These artifacts make culture feel real, not theoretical.
Symbols might be as big as a physical space — like a wall of photos celebrating customer milestones — or as small as a phrase or inside joke that becomes part of the company’s language. Celebrations, whether formal awards or informal shout-outs, reinforce which behaviors are valued and worth repeating.
Rituals also play an important role. Regular events, like monthly “win” meetings or annual recognition ceremonies, create shared moments that deepen connection —making your company’s story something they live, not just hear.
An Example: Rising Together University
At Midwest BankCentre, one of our most meaningful “living stories” is our relationship with Beyond Housing at our Pagedale Branch. This relationship is highlighted in our new employee orientation program, Rising Together University, a year-long onboarding journey that immerses new team members in moments that define who we are.
One of the most powerful of these is a visit to our Pagedale Branch, which recently celebrated its ten-year anniversary. When it opened, it became the community’s first full-service bank, marking a turning point in the 24:1 Initiative led by Beyond Housing. Standing in that space, new colleagues see firsthand how access to capital can transform neighborhoods and how partnerships fuel shared prosperity. These stories connect our daily work to our deeper purpose — reminding us all why It Matters Where You Bank™.
Your Call to Action
The first step in using storytelling to build culture is simple: start telling stories. This week, share one inspiring story during a team meeting. It could be about how your company first started, a memorable customer experience, or a lesson you’ve learned along the way. The goal isn’t perfection — it’s connection. The more you model storytelling, the more your team will follow suit, and soon your culture will be reinforced by a steady flow of stories that inspire, teach, and unite.
Julie Tuggle-Nguyen is Chief Human Resources Officer at Midwest BankCentre.