Organizations often approach culture change as a communication exercise. New values are introduced, ambitious goals are announced and inspiring messages are shared throughout the company.

Those efforts may create excitement, but they cannot create belief on their own.

Culture changes in the moments that follow the announcement. Do leaders do what they said they would do? Do employees feel safe speaking honestly? Are people supported when challenges arise? Do they understand not only what is changing, but why it matters and where they fit?

When the answers to those questions are clear, trust grows. When they are not, even the most inspiring vision can feel like another corporate initiative that will eventually fade away.

Ben Kjar’s story demonstrates how a bold vision becomes believable. His Call Your Shot framework is built on three elements: a clear goal, trusted people in your corner and a meaningful deadline.

Those same elements can help leaders build the trust required to create lasting cultural change.

Culture Change Starts With Clarity

During his sophomore year of high school, Ben put four characters on his letterman’s jacket: 3XSC.

They stood for Three-Time State Champion.

The remarkable part? He had not accomplished it yet.

Ben was calling his shot before it happened. He knew exactly what he wanted, and his goal was clear enough to wear on his jacket.

By his senior year, Ben had become the first three-time state wrestling champion in his high school’s history.

That achievement began with clarity. His 3XSC was not a misty dream or a vague ambition. It was a clearly defined destination that shaped his decisions, his effort and his priorities.

Organizations need that same degree of clarity when introducing cultural change. What does the desired culture actually look like? How will people behave differently? How will decisions change? What will leaders encourage, reward or no longer accept?

When the destination is unclear, people fill in the gaps with assumptions. Uncertainty grows, and trust begins to weaken.

Clarity does not mean leaders must have every step of the journey mapped out. It means giving people a future they can understand and a direction they can believe in.

People cannot commit confidently to a destination they cannot see.

Trust Grows When People Know Who Is in Their Corner

Ben did not become a champion alone.

He had coaches, teammates and family members who believed in him, challenged him and held him accountable—especially during the dark times.

Ben calls these people Shot Callers.

Everyone needs someone in their corner: someone who sees their potential, tells them the truth and helps them achieve what they once thought was impossible. The same is true inside an organization.

When a culture is changing, employees pay close attention to how leaders respond when things become difficult. Do they listen when concerns are raised? Do they provide honest feedback? Do they help remove obstacles? Do they remain present when the initial enthusiasm wears off?

Trust is not built by lowering expectations. It is built when high expectations are paired with genuine support.

A leader who offers encouragement but never challenges someone may not help that person grow. A leader who demands results without providing support creates pressure instead of trust. Strong leadership brings the two together.

People are more willing to accept difficult feedback, take risks and change familiar behaviors when they know the person challenging them is genuinely invested in their success.

That is what it means to be in someone’s corner.

A Shot Clock Turns Trust Into Action

The third part of Ben’s framework is the Shot Clock: putting a deadline on the dream.

High school wrestling had an expiration date. Ben could not keep pushing his goal into the future because he had only three years to achieve it. That deadline created urgency.

Culture change also needs a meaningful timeline. Without one, good intentions can remain good intentions indefinitely. Meetings are held, values are discussed and promises are made, but everyday behavior stays the same.

Without a shot clock, “someday” can quickly become “never.”

However, urgency without trust can feel like pressure. A meaningful shot clock does more than place a deadline on employees. It creates shared accountability throughout the organization.

Leaders must establish realistic milestones, explain why the timing matters, provide the support people need and communicate honestly about progress. They must also hold themselves accountable for changing their own behavior.

Every promise kept gives employees another reason to believe. Every commitment ignored gives them a reason to hesitate.

A shot clock makes the organization’s commitment visible. It demonstrates that culture change is not simply something leaders are talking about—it is something they are prepared to act on.

Do You Know Your People’s 3XSC?

Most leaders can name their organization’s sales targets, performance measures and strategic priorities.

But how many know their people’s 3XSC?

What do employees want for their families, their finances and their futures? What are they working toward outside their company goals? What would make them feel proud of the life or career they are building?

This is not about asking people to share information they would prefer to keep private. Trust cannot be forced. It is about creating relationships in which employees feel comfortable sharing what motivates them—and then treating what they share with care.

What might change if leaders helped their people move closer to those goals?

Support could mean offering mentorship, helping someone develop a new skill, providing an opportunity or simply creating meaningful accountability. The action may look different for each person, but the message remains the same: You matter here as a person, not only as an employee.

When people know their leaders care about more than what they can produce for the company, the relationship changes. Trust deepens. Connection grows. Employees become more willing to contribute, stretch themselves and support the people around them.

That is where culture begins to change.

Trust Is What Makes Culture Change Last

Culture is not defined by what an organization announces. It is defined by the patterns people experience every day.

It is shaped by what leaders reward, what they tolerate, how they respond to setbacks and whether their actions match their words.

Ben’s Call Your Shot framework gives leaders a practical way to begin. Make the destination clear enough that people can picture it. Become a Shot Caller who provides both support and accountability. Put a meaningful clock on the goal and follow through on the commitments being made.

Most importantly, learn what your people are working toward and look for appropriate ways to support them.

What shot is your organization calling? Do your people understand what it means? Who is standing in their corner? Does your timeline create shared focus or fear? And do your actions give people a reason to trust what you say?

Trust does not make culture change effortless. It makes people willing to enter the change together.

Ben Kjar challenges leaders and teams to stop playing small, get clear about what matters and turn bold intentions into committed action. Discover how Ben’s Call Your Shot keynote can help your organization build trust, accountability and a culture that wins.

Call Your Shot. Disobey Average. Stand Out.