Never Mind Culture

Cultus antithesis

By Matthew Laffer
April 8, 2024

Culture: What it isn’t, what it is, and how to build it.

This ain’t it, chief.

People complain of burnout, so they get pizza.

There’s been a round of layoffs, so executives get bonuses.

Company shares have been decimated, so they get more.

This is common culture. I call it Never Mind Culture. It is the antithesis of Culture: from the Latin cultus, which means care.

Culture isn’t what you say it is or what you want it to be. It’s how you’re being right now.

Working all around the world has provided me the opportunity to observe cultures where the CEO is the first to cut his or her salary. And when the company gets into deep trouble, they’re the first to resign.

Unfortunately, much of the American value system is to react by firing staff, letting underperforming leaders stay, and even bonusing them.

How a company handles conflict tells me how healthy its culture is.

Especially during times of conflict, trust is at a premium. Being honest, direct, and accountable creates a culture that is constructive rather than destructive.

A company’s culture is acted out daily and renews each day, continuously. What people say matter a lot, but their actions matter most of all.

With each interaction, you’re either building culture or eroding it.

How are disagreements handled, problems solved, and decisions made?

Who gets hired, fired, and promoted?

How do teams collaborate, and act on new innovative ideas?

It all matters. So, it should be deliberate and intentional.

When I’m working with companies in developing countries, I hear more laughter in one day than I may hear in a whole year working in a system where people feel like they have no time to laugh.

Culture can be like a well of living water in a garden that benefits whoever gets close to it. Or it can be as dry as a desert.

May it be a garden of fountains for you.

Yeah, but how?

Here’s a four-step framework that has proven to be effective no matter the size or stage of the company.

1. Who decides? This is the company’s authority structure. Who has the right to make decisions about how the work is carried out, and to determine how problems are resolved?

2. Who is responsible? This is the company’s work structure. Where do responsibility and accountability for performance outcomes ultimately reside?

3. Who gains? This is the company’s reward structure. How are monetary rewards allocated among the individuals and teams who help generate them?

4. Who learns? This is the company’s opportunity structure. How are opportunities for learning, growth, and career advancement distributed?

And here are some questions that can help you to assess your current company culture and to assist you with the framework above.

Do we spend more time figuring out how to serve the client or trying to address internal problems?

Are the people who are involved with the problem also involved in seeking the solution?

Are people kept informed about what is happening?

Do we utilize the energy created in conflict as a learning experience?

Do we have the freedom to share disagreements?

Do we share disagreements respectfully?

Do people trust each other and management?

Do people have confidence in leadership?

Do people feel accountable and accept responsibility?

Do teams collaborate well to get the job done?

Do people have access to learning and development?

Do people believe there are good career opportunities here?

Unpopular opinion:

Software didn’t eat the world, and neither will AI. Culture eats everything. Because people still matter.

Matthew Laffer is a 3x entrepreneur and the Founder and CEO at Goalspriing.