Forget Everything You Know About Culture

"Most of the existing rhetoric on culture says that managers must be warm and nurturing and they must treat their employees like family, being encouraging and inclusive. That's just wrong. You don't need to offer a supportive, benevolent culture to be a great manager, organization, or business. And anyone who insists that you must have a certain type of culture gravely misunderstands the role culture plays in an organization. Culture is what enables your company to execute on its strategy and achieve its goals. It's part of what differentiates your organization. It helps you attract, develop, motivate, and retain the right employees. Just as there isn't a single brand identity that fits all companies, no one type of culture is right for all organizations. And just as it would be ridiculous to try to imitate another company's brand, it doesn't make sense for you to try to copy another organization's culture."