Let’s get this straight right out of the gate: handing out Starbucks gift cards every time someone hits a monthly quota isn’t building culture—it’s bribing short-term performance. Surprising your team with a pizza party isn’t the magical cure for burnout or disengagement, either.
Culture isn’t built by checking off boxes or doing what your corporate newsletter said “boosts morale.” It’s built with intention. It’s built with consistency. It’s built by giving a damn about your people not just when numbers are good, but when they’re in the trenches with you.
Before you start throwing ideas around, understand this key point:
Rewards are things you give.
Recognition is how you make people feel.
You can hand out $100 bills until your wallet bleeds, but if someone feels unappreciated, burned out, or like they’re just another cog in your machine, it won’t matter.
The best leaders I know understand that rewards and recognition go hand in hand. You praise people publicly, support them privately, and when you reward them—you make it personal. Generic incentives don’t build loyalty. Intentional ones do.
Let’s ditch the tired stuff and talk about rewards that your people will feel—not just spend.
Give someone a Friday off after a big win. Let them skip out early on a Monday if they crushed their goals the week before. We’re in an industry where we talk endlessly about freedom and lifestyle—but rarely offer it to our own team. Most will appreciate a day off to see their daughters lacrosse game over a new Staney adult sippy cup.
Instead of a bonus, offer to pay for dinner at their favorite steakhouse with their spouse. Give them a weekend getaway voucher. Get them concert tickets for a band they love. When you reward with something they’ve actually wanted, it tells them: I see you as a human, not just a producer.
If you’ve got someone hungry for a new skill set, license, or education, offer to pay for a course or conference of their choosing. Not yours. Giving people autonomy in how they grow shows you’re serious about their future—not just the numbers they put up.
Let’s be honest—most team-building events suck because they’re either way too forced, way too corporate, or completely out of sync with your team’s vibe.
If your team would rather eat glass than do a trust fall, it’s time to recalibrate.
Here are a few ideas that I’ve seen work in real life:
Every month or quarter, take a few from your team (not the whole agency) out to a nice lunch. No agenda. No speeches. Just a break, on you, where everyone can laugh, vent, and bond. Make sure you rotate who you take. Do it random to mix up the groups each lunch or do it by department.
You’ll be shocked what you learn about your team when the office walls disappear.
Pick a day where you shut down the agency early—after a strong week—and take everyone bowling, to an escape room, axe throwing, or even just out to a happy hour. The rule: phones off, fun only.
It’s not about the activity. It’s about the shared moment of relief and reward. Those things create inside jokes, stories, and loyalty.
Try a points-based system where people rack up wins for good habits—like helping another team member, handling tough clients with grace, or bringing in referrals. At the end of the month, highest point total picks from a “vault” of rewards.
Gamify the values you want to see—don’t just bark about them.
One-off moments are fine. But you want some anchor events that everyone looks forward to. Stuff that signals, “This is who we are.”
Rent a pavilion. Have a BBQ. Let your staff bring their spouses and kids. Make it laid-back but intentional—include a quick moment of appreciation or small awards ceremony. These things remind your people that you care about the whole version of them, not just the one that shows up to work.
Choose a cause that aligns with your team’s values—food banks, coat drives, holiday donations—and show up together. It builds camaraderie, pride, and perspective. Bonus points if it becomes a tradition.
You don’t need to fly to Cancun. Just renting a cool workspace for a day and having a brainstorming retreat with catered lunch and a few games can reinvigorate people and break up the monotony.
Let’s talk about what not to do. Because a lot of “good intentions” out there are quietly killing culture—and most agency owners don’t realize it until it’s too late.
If your team hates golf, don’t plan a team-building day at the driving range. If half your crew are introverts, don’t make them roleplay in front of each other for “bonding.” Know your people.
Culture-building dies the moment participation feels mandatory.
Be careful with “winner-take-all” contests. If you reward only your top performer month after month, the rest of the team starts to feel invisible. Try adding “most improved,” “best teammate,” or “above and beyond” categories to widen the circle of recognition.
Drinking culture in team events can backfire hard. Someone will always take it too far. Someone else may not drink and feel awkward. Have fun—but don’t let grabbing drinks be the primary currency you use to build connection. Keep it inclusive.
This one is big. Not everyone is chasing money. Not everyone wants public praise. Not everyone wants extra time off. You need to know your team well enough to tailor things. One-size-fits-all rewards? Lazy. And your team feels it.
Here’s the truth: every agency already has a culture. Whether it’s intentional or accidental is up to you.
If your team feels heard, seen, challenged, appreciated, and connected, you’re doing it right. If they feel like cogs in your premium machine, no number of raffles or free lunches will fix it.
So build culture with the same energy you’d use to build a book. Get strategic. Get creative. Pay attention to what matters—and who matters.
It’s not about being their best friend. It’s about being the kind of leader they’d choose to follow.
You want loyalty? Build something worth being loyal to.
And it doesn’t start with ping pong tables or ice cream socials.
It starts with you.