The Language We Use Is the Culture We Build

by Chelsea Stoll

Last week, as I was drinking my coffee and catching the first few minutes of Good Morning America, a few words at the end of a news story caught my attention: QuikTrip calls their Security Guards, Guardians.  Guardians. Not guards. Not loss prevention. Not security enforcement. Guardians.

The news story was about a recent Amber Alert that went out and how good Samaritans, with the help of the team at a local QuikTrip, notified the authorities and stopped the kidnapping. 

You can watch the segment here. 

That single word – guardians - sent me down a rabbit hole because language is never accidental. Especially not inside organizations. Language defines roles. Roles define behavior. And behavior defines culture.

So I went looking for myself to see if that was a cute term to use on a news segment or the real deal, and I was pleased with what I found.  On QuikTrip’s careers site, their Protective Services roles are described as far more than traditional security positions. The framing is striking. In one company video, an employee says, “Loss prevention generally comes second to the protection of the people.” That is not standard retail security language. That is a values statement.

Loss prevention comes second. People come first. That order matters.

The job descriptions emphasize maintaining clean, safe spaces, being present, de-escalating conflict, and protecting both customers and employees. The compensation and benefits suggest the role is respected and invested in, not minimized. Whether “guardian” is an official title or language used in a media moment, the philosophy appears consistent: the priority is human safety, not shrink reports.

And this is why I care.

I have spent my career inside large, complex organizations. I have led HR through a union campaign. I have seen firsthand what happens when standardization quietly replaces humanity. It’s easy to fall into the trap that policies create consistency, which is true, but it’s the language that carries throughout the culture. When roles are defined around control, people feel controlled. When roles are defined around loss, people feel like assets. When roles are defined around protection, people feel protected.

Job descriptions are cultural artifacts. They communicate what matters, who matters, and how power is meant to be used. Call someone “security,” and the job subtly centers on enforcement. Call someone “loss prevention,” and the job centers property. Call someone “guardian,” and the job centers people.

That distinction changes how someone shows up in a uniform. It changes how customers experience them. It changes how employees feel when they walk into work. It changes the emotional climate of a space.

And here’s the deeper truth: culture is built in the order of our sentences.

When an organization says protection of people comes before loss prevention, they are doing more than branding. They are defining a hierarchy of values. They are declaring that human dignity outranks inventory.

Too often, I have watched systems drift toward efficiency at the expense of humanity. The language shifts subtly. Roles become transactional. Metrics become primary. People become secondary. No one intends for compassion to disappear, but if it isn’t written into the job description, it slowly disappears anyway. Language is key in designing a culture that puts people first.

If you want to understand an organization’s culture, don’t start with the mission statement. Start with the job postings. Start with the titles. Start with the first responsibility listed under a role. What is named first? What is centered? What is protected? Remember, words don’t just describe work. They shape it.

The question this raises for me is not simply whether QuikTrip officially uses the word “guardian” in every store. The more important question is: what does your organization’s language say about whom you protect?

Do your job descriptions communicate control or care?
Do your titles communicate authority or stewardship?
Do your systems prioritize protection of people — or protection of assets?

Culture is not what we say we value. It is what our language makes visible. And if we want workplaces rooted in dignity, compassion, and courage, then we have to start by examining the words we use to define them. Because leadership spreads. And so does language.