Want to know one of the most underrated tools for building company culture? It's not a fancy values poster in your lobby or an expensive offsite retreat. It's a simple monthly newsletter from you—the CEO—to your entire team.
I've scaled multiple businesses and helped dozens of others do the same, and I'm constantly amazed at how few leaders leverage this ridiculously simple alignment tool. Meanwhile, the ones who do are creating cohesion and momentum that's leaving their competitors in the dust.
Want to know something? Your employees are starving for context. They want to know what's happening beyond their immediate work area. They crave understanding of how their daily tasks connect to something bigger. And if you're not giving them this context, you're leaving motivation, productivity, and loyalty on the table.
Why Most Internal Communication Is a Bit Sh*t
Let's be honest—most internal communication is either non-existent or mind-numbingly boring. Many "leadership gurus" will tell you that you need elaborate town halls or complex communication systems. But in reality, you just need consistency and authenticity.
Simon Sinek loves to talk about "starting with why," but I'll take it a step further: you need to continue with why—every damn month. Your people forget. They get buried in the day-to-day. Your job is to consistently reconnect them to the bigger picture.
I've seen companies invest tens of thousands in fancy culture initiatives while neglecting the simple act of regular, thoughtful communication from leadership. It's like buying expensive workout equipment when you haven't mastered pushups.
The Alignment Machine: Structure Your Newsletter for Impact
When I work with scaling businesses, I recommend a specific newsletter structure that hits all the right notes. This isn't just another corporate memo—it's a monthly realignment tool that takes about an hour to create but delivers weeks of focused effort.
Here's how to structure it for maximum impact:
1. Leadership Pulse
Start with a brief message—your strategic snapshot of where the company stands right now and what you're focused on this month. Keep it to 2-3 paragraphs. This isn't your memoir.
2. Cultural Spotlight
This is where the magic happens. Tell a story about an employee who embodied your values in a meaningful way. For example, at one manufacturing company I worked with, we highlighted a production worker who stopped a shipment because he noticed a quality issue—reinforcing our "do it right the first time" value. This story saved the company a potential $50K return and showed everyone else what living the values looks like.
3. Strategic Objectives Update
Provide brief updates on your key initiatives. Where are you making progress? What's stuck? Be honest—your team knows when you're bullshitting them.
4. Key Financials
Share appropriate numbers. Revenue growth, profitability trends, or whatever metrics matter to your business. You'd be surprised how many leaders keep this information locked away, then wonder why employees make decisions that hurt the bottom line.
5. Wins Worth Celebrating
Two types matter here:
- Customer wins: New clients, expansions, testimonials, problems solved
- Employee wins: Promotions, achievements, personal milestones
6. Operational Insights
How are you improving the machine? What processes are getting better? People want to know the company is evolving.
7. Looking Forward
What's coming up next month that people should know about? What should they be excited about or prepared for?
Making It Happen Without Losing Your Mind
I can already hear you thinking, "Great, another thing to add to my plate." But here's how to make this manageable:
- Pick your tool — MailChimp, HubSpot, or even just a well-formatted email will work.
- Set up your data pipeline — Identify the 5-7 metrics you'll report on each month and where they come from. Delegate the collection if possible.
- Create a story repository — When you hear about wins or cultural examples, immediately add them to a running document. You might get four stories one month and none the next.
- Block time on your calendar — 90 minutes, once a month, no exceptions. This is non-negotiable leadership work.
- Make it visually consistent — Use the same layout each month. I recommend alternating text sections with photos to break things up visually.
The CEO of a 70-person software company I worked with implemented this system and saw employee engagement scores increase by 22% within six months. Why? Because suddenly everyone understood what was happening beyond their immediate team.
Why This Works When Other Communication Fails
The monthly cadence of this newsletter hits a sweet spot. Weekly is too frequent—you don't have enough meaningful content. Quarterly is too seldom—you miss the opportunity to continually reinforce culture and strategy.
Jim Collins talks about the "flywheel effect"—the idea that success comes from consistently pushing in the same direction. Your newsletter is the monthly push that keeps your flywheel of culture and alignment gaining momentum.
And unlike most corporate communication which focuses solely on what's happening, this approach emphasizes why it matters and how it connects to your larger mission.
Start Now, Thank Me Later
If you take nothing else from this post, take this: start your internal newsletter this month. Not when things calm down. Not when you have the perfect template. Now.
Your production floor worker who's been doing the same task for three years needs to know how her work connects to your company's growth. Your new hire needs context for why certain decisions are made. Your middle managers need ammunition to motivate their teams.
I've helped implement this exact framework at companies ranging from 15 to 500 employees, and it works every time—if you commit to consistency and authenticity.
