The Manager as Culture Curator

Most people think of leadership as directing, managing, or controlling. But modern research offers a far more powerful and accurate framework: leaders are curators of culture.

They do not create culture through memos or posters.

They create it through the choices they make every day:

what they highlight, what they hide, what they reward, and what they ignore.

Culture is not built by accident—it is curated.

Leadership Is Curation, Not Control

In her Fearless Creative Leadership interview, Judy Jackson explains that true leadership resembles curation. A curator’s job is not to create art but to arrange it in ways that create meaning, coherence, and connection.

Leaders do the same:

• They choose which behaviours are put on display.

• They decide which values get reinforced in meetings.

• They recognise contributions that reflect school principles.

• They silence behaviours that contradict the culture they want.

  
  

This is not control—it is selection. Not micromanagement, but amplification.

Curators Choose What to Amplify

Mukesh Gupta describes leaders as “signal generators.”

Every action they take—every email, conversation, or policy—sends a cultural signal.

Signals communicate:

• what matters here

• what does not

• who is valued

• what excellence looks like

• what behaviour is unacceptable

Teachers interpret these signals constantly. When a leader praises thoughtful planning, collaboration increases. When a leader ignores disrespectful behaviour, disrespect spreads. When a leader models humility, staff feel safe to admit mistakes.

Curation is the act of choosing which signals will shape the organisation.

Culture Is the Sum of Micro-Signals

Unboundary’s “Leader as Curator” explains that culture is not defined by big events. It is built through micro-signals: tone, timing, priorities, reactions, and everyday decisions.

Some examples in schools:

A principal starts a meeting by celebrating a teacher’s innovation → signal of creativity.

A department head ignores late planning submissions → signal of inconsistency.

A leader publicly thanks a team for supporting a struggling colleague → signal of collaboration.

A leader remains silent when someone talks over others → signal of disrespect being tolerated.

Teachers do not learn culture from handbooks. They learn it from leadership behaviour.

Schools Depend on Curated Norms

Schools are complex ecosystems with hundreds of interactions daily.

If norms are not curated intentionally, culture becomes inconsistent or dysfunctional.

Leaders curate culture by defining:

What we celebrate

Examples: collaboration, innovation, professionalism, student-centered practice.

What we tolerate

Examples: negativity, inconsistency, siloed behaviour, lateness.

What we correct

Examples: harmful conflict, low expectations, disrespectful communication.

What we model

Examples: vulnerability, clarity, professionalism, supportive leadership.

But perhaps the most underestimated contributor to culture is what leaders do not address.

Everything a leader does is a cultural signal.

Silence is also a signal—and often a louder one than words.

The Deeper Meaning of Silence in School Culture

Silence is not neutral.

Silence is interpreted.

When leaders do not speak, staff infer meaning. Organizational psychologists call this sensemaking: when information is missing, people supply their own. And in schools—high-pressure, relational environments—sensemaking accelerates quickly and spreads laterally.

Silence can mean:

• “This behaviour is acceptable.”

• “This issue is not important.”

• “There is no clear expectation.”

• “Leaders are unaware or unwilling to act.”

• “I should not raise concerns.”

• “I am on my own in navigating this.”

  
  

Without any formal message delivered, a powerful narrative begins to form.

Silence legitimizes behaviour

If lateness, negativity, or disrespect go unacknowledged, staff interpret this as tacit approval. What is tolerated becomes normalized.

Silence erodes psychological safety

When harmful behaviour is ignored, bystanders learn that speaking up may be risky or pointless. Staff retreat into self-protection, reducing collaboration and innovation.

Silence creates informal hierarchies

People quickly notice who gets their behaviour corrected and who does not. This inconsistency creates power dynamics that undermine fairness and trust.

Silence confuses priorities

If leaders promote values publicly but ignore violations privately, teachers assume the values are rhetorical rather than operational.

Silence transfers authority to informal leaders

In the absence of clear direction, the loudest or most confident staff—not the most competent—shape norms. Culture becomes leaderless.

In short:

When leaders fail to curate norms explicitly, the culture begins curating itself—and the results are rarely aligned with the school’s mission.

Intentional Curation Builds Trust and Consistency

Teachers flourish when culture feels coherent and predictable.

Intentional curation provides:

• clarity of expectations

• alignment of values

• stability of norms

• emotional safety

• shared identity

When leaders curate culture purposefully, teachers know what matters, why it matters, and how to live it out in the classroom.

Without curation, culture becomes fragmented, arbitrary, or leader-dependent.

Conclusion

Leadership in schools is not primarily about directing people—it is about curating the environment in which they work.

Leaders create culture every day by choosing what to amplify, what to remove, and what to model.

Intentional curation transforms schools into values-driven, coherent, and empowering places for teachers and students.

If you want to learn how to curate a culture that strengthens teacher engagement and organisational alignment, contact the AG Nova team. We help schools design leadership practices that build trust, clarity, and high-performance teacher-first cultures.