Yearly Archives: 2023

In a recent conversation with Chief People Officer (CPO) Shannon Sullivan, she said, “Building real authentic culture is a moat because it's hard to replicate. You've got to be really deliberate about how you build it.”

There’s no one-size-fits-all way to sustain company culture. Often, the best strategies for sustaining culture are those that are unique to a company. At Headspace, I couldn’t help but admire how aligned their initiatives are with their product and mission.

Across my thirty plus interviews with chief people officers (CPOs), Waymo serves as one of the best examples of how a strong sense of purpose can drive culture and ultimately growth strategy. In this interview with CPO Becky Bucich, she does a brilliant job of breaking down Waymo’s culture and the work her team does to foster it.

Gallup and LEADx research on employee experience shows that “your manager cares” is now a top five driver of employee engagement. It makes sense: When your leader cares, they’re much more likely to be tuned in to your career and job satisfaction. In turn, you’re much more willing to forgive small mistakes and stressors.

Luque described how NerdWallet’s culture is tied to its product: “When I think about what we provide to consumers, I'm not surprised that it mirrors how I describe our internal culture.

In his article titled “The Frontline Advantage” published in the Harvard Business Review, three-time Big Pharma Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Fred Hassan stated, “It is the frontline managers who must motivate and bolster the morale of the people who do the work—those who design, make, and sell the products or deliver services to customers.

For anyone working in people and culture, it’s important to strike a balance between moving quickly and reflecting thoughtfully.

Over the course of 100+ interviews with chief people officers (CPOs), an interesting theme has emerged: Companies with unique company values and characteristics seem to foster more authentic, creative environments.

When a company experiences rapid growth, growing pains are inevitable. Original employees find themselves in a sea of new employees. The way things are done shifts. The culture evolves.