Descriptive norms (what people actually do) are more

What leaders tolerate defines culture more than what they praise

The worst behavior that goes uncorrected sets the cultural floor — the minimum standard that everyone understands is actually acceptable regardless of what the stated values claim. Leaders define culture primarily through tolerance, not through praise. Praising good behavior sets an aspiration. Tolerating bad behavior sets a norm. When the aspiration and the norm conflict, the norm wins because it represents what the organization has demonstrated it will actually accept.