your company culture is not stand-up desks, or a ping-pong table, or free snacks in the break room. those are workplace perks.

culture is about how you do the work. it’s about how you approach decision making as an organization.

  • do you do the right thing, or the profitable thing?
  • do you take risks, or do you keep sacred the business practices of old?
  • are you radically open and honest, or do you choose what information you make available to everyone within the org?
  • do you promote leaders from within, or do you look outside to new hires?
  • do you forge your own path, or do you try to mimic the success of others?
  • do your leaders build consensus, or do they act unilaterally?
  • do research and evidence-based processes trump gut feelings?
  • is the organization committed to investing in their own people, processes, and tools?

“fun” isn’t a culture; it’s an adjective.

be wary of anyone who thinks they can describe their company’s culture in a single word.