Culture Doesnโt Happen by Accident: What Higher Ed Leaders Can Learn from Rio Salado
Feb 11, 2026Culture is always forming—whether leaders are paying attention to it or not.
That’s one of the clearest messages to emerge from our conversation with Dr. Kate Smith, President of Rio Salado College. In an era defined by rapid change, budget pressures, and constant disruption, Kate reminds us that culture doesn’t “hold itself together.” Leaders shape it through daily choices, visible behaviors, and what they choose to prioritize—or ignore.
For higher education leaders, especially those leading from the middle, this is both a challenge and an opportunity.
Culture Will Happen—With or Without You
Kate describes culture as something that can slip quietly if leaders stop tending to it. Not because people stop caring, but because the pace of work pushes culture into the background. Meetings fill calendars. Crises demand attention. Innovation becomes reactive instead of intentional.
But culture is never neutral. When leaders stop shaping it, something else takes over—often stress, silos, or risk avoidance.
At Rio Salado, culture has remained a throughline across decades of leadership change because leaders consistently talk about it, model it, and protect it. That consistency matters more than any single initiative.
Empathy Is a Strategic Asset
One of the most powerful ideas Kate shares is that empathy isn’t a “soft” leadership skill—it’s the foundation of innovation.
Empathy allows leaders to understand what students, faculty, and staff are actually experiencing. It surfaces friction points. It reveals unmet needs. And it creates psychological safety, which is essential if people are going to bring forward new ideas or admit when something isn’t working.
When empathy is absent, innovation slows. When it’s present, people engage more fully.
Innovation Thrives in Trust-Rich Environments
Innovation doesn’t emerge from perfection. It emerges from environments where people are allowed to try, learn, and iterate.
Kate openly acknowledges that innovation is messy—especially the first time something is attempted. But instead of avoiding that discomfort, Rio Salado has embraced it as part of learning. That mindset sends a powerful signal: progress matters more than polish.
For leaders, this raises an important question:
Are people rewarded for learning—or only for getting it right the first time?
A Leadership Reflection
If culture reflects leadership behavior, then reflection is essential.
Ask yourself:
- Where am I unintentionally letting culture drift?
- What behaviors am I modeling that others are likely to copy?
- How often do I talk about values—not just outcomes?
Culture doesn’t change through memos. It changes through visible leadership, repeated actions, and sustained attention.
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