CXO Challenge #2. How to change a toxic business culture

We asked a series of leaders how they’re tackling the big, the ugly, and the common challenges facing businesses today. Here, XPO Logistics’ MD UK&I, Dan Myers, explains how to right a wrong enterprise culture.

Culture isn’t something you read, says Dan Myers. “You can feel it. The culture is almost tangible.” From the moment you step in, the way people greet you, how they interact, what’s said and what isn’t – you immediately understand what sort of business you’re in.

And when it’s wrong, it affects everyone. “No one, no one is immune from it.” It spreads through the entire organisation, shaping how people think, act, and respond to change.

What to do?

For Dan, the issue is often not resistance but memory. Failed change programmes leave a lasting impact. “People are a function of their own experiences.” If change has gone badly before, people don’t just doubt it; they expect it to fail.

So you don’t begin big. You begin smart.

“You choose change that you know has a very high probability of success.” One success isn’t enough. Neither is two. But over time, momentum builds. Three, four, five, and suddenly it’s not luck any more. It’s a pattern.

Success breeds success

That’s when culture begins to shift, and belief takes the place of scepticism. When people cease looking backwards and start moving forward together.

Because in the end, culture isn’t what you say. It’s what people believe is possible.