By: Ashley Finney
The future of work is not steady. It’s stormy.
Leaders today are navigating a workplace environment more like whitewater rapids than calm seas: unpredictable, fast-moving, and demanding constant agility. For human resources and executive teams, one truth is becoming clearer than ever. A strong culture is not a soft skill or a branding exercise. It is a strategic asset. It is also a muscle that must be worked daily to thrive and remain effective.
At Bench International, a global executive search and leadership advisory firm serving the life sciences and healthcare sectors, we have seen firsthand that companies with well-built, resilient cultures do not just survive market challenges. They lead through them.
Recently, I had the opportunity to speak on this topic at BioNJ’s HR Conference during a session titled “Sustaining Culture in Unsettled Times.” The conversation reinforced a powerful truth: culture must be deliberately practiced and protected every day, especially by those closest to the work.
Culture as an Everyday Investment
Culture is often described as the company’s personality and reflects what people do when no one is looking. But in times of uncertainty, what people do when everyone is watching becomes even more critical. That is when teams search for alignment, clarity, and confidence. And that is when culture either reinforces an organization’s foundation or exposes its cracks.
At Bench, we have supported life sciences organizations through clinical holds, IPOs, M&A transactions, commercial launches, and global expansion. Across every stage, the healthiest companies shared one thing in common: they viewed culture as a performance lever, not a perk.
A purpose-built culture, like trust, is cumulative. You cannot expect resilience, accountability, or purpose to show up in high-stakes moments if they have not been exercised in the everyday. Frontline managers and HR leaders are uniquely positioned to strengthen this muscle by reinforcing what matters most through both systems and storytelling.
The Critical Role of Frontline Leadership
The C-suite’s commitment to set company culture is essential, but it is frontline leaders, managers, directors, and team leads who operationalize culture in real-time. Their impact is direct, sustained, and deeply influential. Whether an organization builds trust or loses it, holds true to its values or lets them erode, often depends on how these leaders show up in moments of ambiguity. They need to feel empowered by the C-suite and pass that empowerment down the line to their teams.
To help culture thrive in uncertain times, frontline leaders must:
- Communicate clearly, consistently, and compassionately
- Connect everyday decisions back to the company’s mission
- Model the values they want their teams to live by
- Recognize and reinforce cultural alignment in small moments
- Speak up when culture is at risk or compromised
At Bench, we partner with companies to identify leaders who are not just operationally excellent but culturally committed; those who lead with intention and help teams stay grounded even as the ground shifts.
Five Culture-Driven Practices for HR and People Leaders
Whether you are in HR, talent strategy, or managing a high-performing team, here are five actionable ways to strengthen cultural resilience:
- Prioritize culture-fit and adaptability when hiring. Candidates who are agile and mission-aligned are more likely to lead effectively through change. “Culture eats strategy for breakfast”, and even the best strategy will fail if the prevailing culture within an organization doesn’t support its implementation.
- Empower teams to own the culture. Culture is a shared responsibility. Invite employees to contribute ideas, lead initiatives, and hold each other accountable.
- Align systems with values. From performance reviews to internal communications, ensure your processes reflect and reward cultural behaviors.
- Practice culture every day. Embed culture into your daily rhythm through recognition, value shoutouts, storytelling, and check-ins. Repetition builds resilience.
- Make the invisible visible. Call out behaviors that reflect your values. Normalize what might otherwise go unnoticed and turn small moments into cultural anchors.
Culture Is the Multiplier
According to McKinsey’s 2024 report, The State of Organizations 2023–2024, healthy organizations deliver three times the total shareholder returns compared to their peers, demonstrating that culture is not just how we work, it’s how we win.
Bench International has spent five decades building leadership teams in the life sciences sector. Through bull markets and budget freezes, early science and discovery, to late-stage launches, we have seen the same pattern: a strong culture amplifies everything else. It strengthens strategy, clarifies decisions, and helps teams navigate uncertainty.
The best leaders do not treat their culture as an afterthought. They treat it as a core competency. And they work that muscle every single day.
About the Author: Ashley finney
Ashley Finney is Senior Vice President of Business Development & Recruiting and the Practice Leader of Bench On Demand at Bench International, where she partners with emerging biotechs and global life sciences companies to build executive teams and organizational cultures rooted in purpose, resilience, and long-term impact.
Sources
- McKinsey & Company. The State of Organizations 2023–2024. Published March 19, 2024.
