Culture Is the Way

Culture Is the Way Plot Summary

Introduction

I remember watching a football game with my father when I was twelve years old. We were sitting on our worn leather couch, cheering for our hometown team. During halftime, my father turned to me and said something I've never forgotten: "You know, the team that wins isn't always the one with the best players. It's the one where everyone believes in the same thing and works together like they're part of something bigger than themselves." Years later, I would come to understand that he was talking about culture—the invisible force that shapes how people think, behave, and perform when they're part of a group. In today's rapidly evolving business world, organizations face unprecedented challenges: digital transformation, remote work transitions, shifting employee expectations, and intense market competition. Yet amid these complexities, the most successful companies share a common foundation—a deliberately crafted culture that empowers people to perform at their best. Throughout this book, the author takes us on a journey through real-world examples of organizations that have transformed their performance by placing culture at the center of their strategy. By examining both successes and failures, we gain practical insights into how leaders at every level can build cultures that drive speed, foster meaningful impact, and achieve sustained excellence in any environment.

Chapter 1: The Culture Imperative: Why Leadership Begins with Purpose

The conference room fell silent as Terry, the CEO of a mid-sized technology company, slumped back in his chair. "We've tried everything," he sighed, running his hands through his graying hair. "New compensation plans, flexible work arrangements, even those ping-pong tables everyone seems to love. But our turnover is still through the roof, and our engagement scores keep dropping." The executive team exchanged uncomfortable glances. They had invested millions in talent initiatives over the past two years, yet nothing seemed to move the needle. Sarah, the newly hired Chief People Officer, cleared her throat. "May I suggest we're approaching this from the wrong angle?" All eyes turned to her. "These programs are like putting bandages on symptoms without addressing the underlying condition. What if we step back and ask: What kind of organization do we want to be? What purpose drives us beyond profit? How do we want people to feel when they work here?" The room grew even quieter as her words sank in. This scenario plays out in boardrooms worldwide as leaders grapple with creating environments where people thrive and perform at their best. Many executives, like Terry, fall into the trap of viewing culture as a collection of perks rather than the foundational operating system that powers everything an organization does. Research consistently shows that companies with strong, purposeful cultures outperform their competitors by substantial margins. A Harvard University study found that organizations with healthy cultures saw a 756% increase in net income over those with weaker cultures during a ten-year period. The author emphasizes that culture isn't just about making employees happy—it's about creating alignment around a shared purpose that propels strategic execution. When leaders begin with purpose, they establish a North Star that guides decision-making, shapes behavior, and creates a sense of meaning that transcends transactional employment. This purpose-driven approach stands in stark contrast to the all-too-common pattern of implementing disconnected programs without a cohesive cultural framework. What distinguishes truly exceptional organizations isn't just their products or strategies, but their distinctive cultures that shape how they operate. Garry Ridge, Chairman and CEO of WD-40 Company, attributes their quadrupled sales and tenfold market cap growth over two decades to what he calls their "tribal culture." The company's annual compounded growth rate of total shareholder return has been 15% over the last twenty years, fueled by their culture of care, candor, accountability, and responsibility. As we'll discover throughout subsequent chapters, culture isn't something organizations have—it's something they do. And it begins with leadership that purposefully defines, models, and nurtures the environment in which people work. By establishing this cultural foundation, leaders create the conditions for sustainable excellence rather than chasing short-term fixes that rarely address the real challenges organizations face.

Chapter 2: Defining Your Cultural North Star

Mike stood nervously at the front of the room, facing twenty senior leaders from Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits of Illinois. As their Vice President and General Sales Manager, he had been advocating for a more intensive focus on building a better culture for years. The company wasn't performing poorly—quite the opposite. But Mike sensed they were leaving untapped potential on the table by not being more deliberate about their culture. "What is our culture here at SGWS-IL?" Mike asked the assembled executives. After a few blank stares, leaders began shouting out different ideas. Some referenced the company's FAMILY Values, others recited corporate mission statements, while others offered strong phrases they felt captured the essence of what made the company special: "Excellence!" "Commitment!" "Execution!" Mike wrote down everything, filling a whiteboard with their responses. After about ten minutes, he turned back to the group. "Do you realize what just happened? I have 35 different things written down on this board." The leaders looked at one another, suddenly aware of the disconnect. "Great cultures are defined cultures," Mike continued. "This means that every leader, manager, and employee can describe the culture and what it stands for, and their descriptions will be remarkably similar." The room fell silent as the implications set in. Despite their success, they lacked a unified understanding of what made their organization special—their cultural North Star. Over the next three hours, they engaged in deep discussion about their values, purpose, and what they wanted their culture to represent. Eventually, Terry Brick, the Executive Vice President, suggested: "Matt introduced the motto 'Get Better Today' during our last meeting and how important it is to incorporate that mindset as leaders. That has resonated with us ever since. What if we add the word 'together' at the end and adopt that as our cultural purpose statement?" The energy in the room immediately shifted as leaders voiced enthusiastic agreement. "Get Better Today...Together" captured exactly who they were and who they aspired to be. This simple yet powerful phrase would become their cultural North Star, guiding them through unprecedented challenges in the years ahead—including the COVID-19 pandemic, during which they achieved one of their best years ever. Creating a cultural purpose statement isn't about crafting a clever slogan or a marketing tagline. It's about distilling the essence of what makes an organization unique and expressing it in a way that provides clarity, alignment, and inspiration. The most effective cultural purpose statements are simple enough to remember yet profound enough to guide behavior. They serve as a touchstone for decision-making and create a shared language that reinforces cultural norms. What makes this approach particularly powerful is that a well-crafted cultural purpose statement transcends the workplace. It becomes a philosophy that people can apply to all aspects of their lives. Edward, a team member nearing retirement at SGWS-IL, shared how "Get Better Today...Together" helped him prepare for the next chapter of his life: "I've been applying our cultural purpose statement to my personal life. It's helped me find ways to expand my horizons and pursue hobbies I'd never considered before." When leaders create a clear, compelling cultural North Star, they establish a foundation upon which all other culture-building efforts can rest. This clarity isn't just about what an organization says—it's about how it behaves, makes decisions, and shows up in the world. The journey toward cultural excellence begins with this essential step of defining what matters most.

Chapter 3: Winning Hearts and Minds Through Collaboration

Ron, a senior leader at a large insurance company, leaned back in his chair with arms crossed. "One of the reasons we've been successful and do great work for our clients is because of the speed with which we move and operate. Listening to people simply complain about what they don't like will cause us to slow down," he argued, responding to a proposal for involving employees more deeply in the company's culture change journey. Many leaders shared Ron's hesitation, believing that cultural transformation should be directed exclusively from the top. Four months later, Ron's perspective had completely changed. After implementing a collaborative approach to culture-building that actively engaged employees at all levels, he witnessed firsthand how involving people in the process actually accelerated their progress rather than impeding it. "I was wrong," he admitted during a leadership meeting. "When people feel heard and see themselves in the solution, they move faster, not slower. The energy and commitment from our teams have been extraordinary." This transformation illustrates a fundamental truth about building lasting culture change: organizations and companies do not change by themselves or because their leaders express a desire for them to do so. People change. And changing mindsets and behaviors—especially at scale—requires making people feel like they are vital parts of the process rather than passive recipients of top-down directives. At Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits of Illinois, this collaborative approach became a cornerstone of their culture-building effort. After selecting "Get Better Today...Together" as their cultural purpose statement, senior leaders began a multifaceted process to involve every manager in the company. They conducted discovery sessions to identify problem areas in the existing culture, engaged managers from across divisions in deep discussions about the company's strengths and opportunities, and worked together to translate values into specific daily behaviors. The impact of this approach was transformative. Mike Housey, the leader of SGWS-IL's selling division, reflected: "The unique part is that every single manager in the company has their fingerprints on the culture that we are building. It is not coming from just the senior leaders, and that has been transformational." This sense of co-creation fostered unprecedented levels of commitment and alignment throughout the organization. Research from Google's Project Aristotle, which studied what makes teams effective, found that psychological safety—the belief that one won't be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, or concerns—was the most important factor in team success. This insight highlights why the collaborative approach to culture-building is so powerful. When people feel safe to contribute, they become invested in the outcome. Building a thriving culture isn't about imposing a vision from above. It's about creating what the author describes as a process that is "top-down directed but bottom-up created." Leaders set the direction and create the container, but they recognize that sustainable cultural change emerges when people throughout the organization help shape it. This collaborative approach not only produces better results but also begins the work of culture change during the process itself, as people experience being valued, heard, and included.

Chapter 4: The Implementation Playbook: From Vision to Reality

"We had a great kickoff for our culture initiative six months ago," Jennifer, the Chief Operating Officer of a manufacturing company, confessed with visible frustration. "There was so much energy and excitement. We had these beautiful posters made, sent out weekly emails about our values, and even created special recognition awards. But honestly, it feels like nothing has really changed. The enthusiasm has faded, and we're back to business as usual." Her experience isn't uncommon. Many organizations struggle with the gap between launching a culture change and creating sustainable transformation. The company had fallen victim to what the author calls implementation pain points: poor preparation and planning, lack of understanding and relatability, misrepresentation of old mindsets and behaviors, insufficient communication strategy, absence of shared behavioral shifts, and failure to highlight positive examples. They had focused on the what of culture change without adequate attention to the how. Contrast this with how Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits of Illinois approached implementation. They created a comprehensive playbook organized around four key actions. First, they invested significant time in driving alignment forward, ensuring every leader and manager understood the key priorities before taking a single step. Second, they developed a Behavioral Manifesto—a one-page master document that translated their values into clear, actionable behaviors that everyone could understand and implement. Third, they crafted a detailed communication strategy that addressed not just what was changing, but why it mattered, how it would benefit everyone, and what the vision for the future looked like. Finally, they created a three-phase rollout roadmap covering communication, embedding, and engagement. "By making their communication and actions more inclusive, leaders were gradually shifting away from a command-and-control management style," the author observes. "Silos remained, but they were shrinking month by month as leaders and managers made a conscious effort to do so. The most important thing was having a clear game plan and strategy for how to move forward." The implementation phase is where many culture efforts falter, not because the vision is flawed but because the execution lacks sufficient rigor and intentionality. As the author explains, "Culture is not just an initiative to check off a list. When you make the decision to be a Chief Culture Driver, you're not just beginning the process of building a better organization or achieving better business results. You are also manifesting changes that will have a significant impact on how you lead and interact with others." Effective implementation requires leaders to "shock the organization"—not negatively, but by conveying a moving and compelling message that sends shockwaves throughout the company. This message must be purposeful, so everyone can envision what the future will look like. There need to be numerous and diverse channels of communication cascading throughout the organization, and the delivery needs to be consistent and continuous. What distinguishes organizations that successfully implement culture change is their ability to move with both urgency and adaptability. They recognize that transformation takes time, but they don't use that as an excuse for inaction. Instead, they create momentum through quick wins while simultaneously building the infrastructure for long-term change. This balanced approach keeps energy high while establishing the foundation for sustainable transformation.

Chapter 5: Building Sustainable Cultural Impact

James, a senior executive at a financial services firm, beamed with pride as he described their culture transformation initiative. "The launch was incredible—we had an all-company event, brought in inspirational speakers, and even gave everyone branded merchandise to commemorate the occasion. People were genuinely excited." But when asked about the initiative's impact six months later, his enthusiasm dimmed. "Well, to be honest, things have pretty much gone back to normal. We had great momentum at first, but then urgent business priorities took over, and culture kind of... fell off the radar." This scenario illustrates one of the most common challenges in culture work: sustainability. Many organizations can generate initial excitement around culture change, but few create the conditions for lasting impact. The difference lies in what the author calls "fanaticism"—an extreme and unquestioning enthusiasm, devotion, and zeal for culture that becomes embedded in how the organization operates. At WD-40 Company, this fanaticism for culture has paid remarkable dividends. Over two decades, the company has quadrupled sales and increased market capitalization from $250 million to nearly $2.5 billion. Chairman and CEO Garry Ridge attributes this sustained success to their "tribal culture" and quotes Larry Senn: "Culture is not an initiative. All initiatives are enabled by culture." This perspective fundamentally shifts how organizations approach culture—not as a separate workstream but as the foundation that enables everything else. To build sustainable cultural impact, the author presents a Five-Step Fanatical Framework: continuous attention and nurturing, consistency and alignment, focus on the vital few priorities, relentless follow-through, and making the business case for culture. When implemented together, these practices create conditions where culture becomes self-reinforcing rather than requiring constant intervention to maintain. Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits of Illinois exemplified this approach through full system embedment—integrating culture into every aspect of how the organization functions. They established rigorous training programs focused on bringing their cultural behaviors to life, created a cultural impact committee with representatives from across the organization, defined clear cultural imperatives tied to business objectives, developed a handbook of cultural guidelines, celebrated and shared stories that illustrated their values in action, established recognition programs that reinforced desired behaviors, implemented mentoring programs that crossed divisional boundaries, and connected culture directly to their learning and development initiatives. The sustainability of cultural change isn't determined by the grandeur of its launch but by the depth of its integration into organizational systems. As the author explains, "Just like we talked about how important it is to communicate your culture and what it stands for over and over again and never leave it up to chance, the same is true for commercial execution. I've never understood leaders who feel compelled to keep the strategy and gameplan to themselves and never share them. What good is that?" The most powerful approach to sustainability comes from connecting culture to purpose—helping people understand why culture matters beyond immediate business outcomes. This connection creates intrinsic motivation that outlasts extrinsic incentives. When people see how culture enables meaningful work and connects to something larger than themselves, they become advocates rather than just participants. Building sustainable cultural impact isn't about perfection—it's about persistence. The organizations that succeed are those that remain fanatically committed to the ongoing journey of culture-building, recognizing that the work is never finished but always evolving. As one leader reflected, "Culture isn't something you arrive at. It's something you continuously cultivate and nurture, day after day."

Chapter 6: Leadership as the Ultimate Differentiator

Terry Brick, the Executive Vice President and General Manager of Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits of Illinois, was approaching the end of his career when he made a decision that would transform not only his organization but his own legacy as a leader. Despite his decades of experience and the company's already-strong performance, he chose to invest deeply in building and strengthening the company's culture—a choice that many leaders in his position might have delegated or dismissed as unnecessary at that stage of their career. "I may not have always been a big believer in culture, but I am a changed man," Terry later reflected. "I don't have many regrets, but one of them is not devoting enough time and energy to culture earlier in my career. I'm so glad I didn't listen to that little negative voice in my head telling me it was too late at the start." Under his leadership, the company consistently grew their gross profit faster than revenue and revenue faster than volume, even through the challenges of a global pandemic. The impact of his leadership transformation extended far beyond business results. As one employee noted, "Terry has always been an approachable leader, but his leadership over the past few years has been truly remarkable. Empathetic, inspiring, and authentic come to mind when thinking of Terry." Another commented, "I must be honest. I thought this culture stuff would fade away, but Terry has done an outstanding job steering and exemplifying what 'Get Better Today...Together' is all about!" What this story illuminates is what the author calls "the ultimate differentiator" in organizational success: leadership. As research consistently shows, when assessing an IPO, 90% of investors believe that the performance and quality of an organization's leadership team is the most important factor. When the leadership team works together toward a common vision, the probability of exceeding median financial performance increases by 1.9 times. The author outlines three critical actions that define a leader's role in building culture. First, leaders must set the vision—clearly articulating not just what the culture is but why it matters. Second, they must lead the way forward by modeling the behaviors they expect from others. As the author notes, "It's a recipe for disaster to communicate your vision and the type of culture you want to create while expecting others to change their ways of working if you remain stagnant." Third, leaders must coach for excellence, actively helping others develop the mindsets and capabilities needed to embody the culture. Beyond these actions, the author emphasizes the transformational nature of leadership in culture-building. This begins with leaders transforming themselves—developing a growth mindset and commitment to continuous learning. From there, they can transform others through deep connection and personalized development. This ripples outward to transform the culture itself and ultimately the entire organization. Dan Cathy, former CEO of Chick-fil-A, experienced this transformative power firsthand. Early in his career, when customer satisfaction scores were troubling, he initially blamed his operators and franchisees. Then he encountered a phrase in a book that changed his perspective: "What is in the business is a reflection of leadership." He realized that yelling at operators and telling owners to do a better job had little relevance compared to his own growth as a leader. The more he developed himself, the better the company became. Leadership is not just a role or position—it's the catalyst that either accelerates or impedes cultural transformation. When leaders truly embody the change they seek, culture shifts from an aspirational concept to a lived reality. As the author concludes, "The decision of one veteran leader to decide that it was not too late to become a Chief Culture Driver had an impact not only on him, but also on those around him. It's never too late to start."

Chapter 7: Commercial Execution: Where Culture Meets Performance

David, the CEO of a growing technology company, paced back and forth in the boardroom. "I'm all for having a positive culture," he said, gesturing emphatically, "but at the end of the day, we need to hit our numbers. That's what keeps the lights on." His leadership team nodded in agreement. Six months earlier, they had launched a culture initiative with great fanfare, but as market pressures mounted, their focus had shifted exclusively to commercial targets. Culture was increasingly viewed as a "nice-to-have" rather than a strategic imperative. In another company across town, Lisa approached culture differently. As CEO of a mid-sized distribution business, she had integrated cultural priorities directly into their commercial strategy. "Our cultural purpose statement isn't separate from our business goals—it's how we achieve them," she explained to her team. "When we say 'Inspiring the Future Together,' that applies as much to how we grow market share as it does to how we develop our people." Her company consistently outperformed competitors, even during market downturns. These contrasting approaches illustrate what the author identifies as a common dilemma for leaders: the perceived tension between culture and commercial execution. Many leaders like David fall into the trap of viewing culture as separate from—or even in competition with—business performance. This false dichotomy ultimately undermines both cultural and commercial success. The author directly addresses this mindset by referencing Peter Drucker's famous quote, "Culture eats strategy for breakfast," while adding an important qualification: "This isn't to diminish or minimize the importance of strategy, but when it comes to level of prioritization, culture is king because it determines how well you execute and bring your strategy to life." In other words, culture isn't an alternative to commercial execution—it's the engine that powers it. Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits exemplifies this integrated approach through what their Chief Commercial Officer John Wittig calls the "E3 axiom: Embed, Embrace, and Execute." The company's remarkable commercial success—with annual revenues exceeding $20 billion—stems from a culture that prioritizes extraordinary leadership, innovation, and relentless execution. Their proprietary e-commerce platform, SG Proof, emerged from this culture of excellence, providing not only enhanced customer experience but also valuable market intelligence that fuels their commercial strategy. What distinguishes truly exceptional organizations is their ability to find their "commercial DNA"—the unique combination of capabilities, values, and approaches that define how they compete and win. Like the New England Patriots in football or Disney in entertainment, these organizations infuse their cultural identity into every aspect of their commercial execution. As one Disney executive chef demonstrated by going to extraordinary lengths to accommodate a child with dietary restrictions, their cultural commitment to creating magical experiences directly translates into commercial success. The author emphasizes that connecting culture to commercial execution requires extreme clarity and understanding throughout the organization. At Southern Glazer's, this connection is reinforced through weekly communications where leaders not only share commercial priorities but explain the why behind them and how they align with the company's cultural values. This transparency ensures that everyone understands both what needs to be accomplished and how culture enables that accomplishment. Perhaps most importantly, organizations that excel at connecting culture to commercial performance recognize that people are the ultimate drivers of results. As the author states, "Who is responsible for hitting the numbers and making sure everything goes as planned? People are. Who is in charge of coming up with a winning strategy and then seeing it through to completion? People are." By obsessing over talent—attracting, developing, and engaging the right people—these organizations create the human foundation for commercial success.

Summary

Throughout this journey exploring how culture drives organizational success, we've witnessed remarkable transformations: Terry Brick evolving from a culture skeptic to a passionate advocate, Southern Glazer's integrating "Get Better Today...Together" into every aspect of their business, leaders like Ron discovering the power of true collaboration, and organizations bridging the gap between cultural aspirations and commercial results. These stories illuminate a profound truth: culture isn't just something organizations have—it's the foundation for everything they achieve. What makes this approach to culture building so powerful is its comprehensive nature. It begins with defining a clear cultural North Star that provides meaning and direction. It continues through collaborative processes that engage hearts and minds at every level. It gains momentum through deliberate implementation that transforms values into behaviors. It becomes sustainable through fanatical commitment to embedding culture in organizational systems. And it achieves its fullest expression through leaders who not only champion culture but embody it in every action. When these elements work in harmony, culture becomes more than an initiative—it becomes the way organizations think, act, and succeed in an increasingly complex world. As we navigate our own leadership journeys, may we remember that building cultures of speed, impact, and excellence isn't just about organizational performance—it's about creating environments where people thrive, purpose flourishes, and potential is unleashed. The journey may be challenging, but as countless examples have shown, culture truly is the way forward.

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Matt Mayberry

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