The Truth About Company Culture: When It Matters and When It Doesn’t

A Shrug That Got Me Thinking

I was recently invited to sit on a business panel alongside a successful owner of a Midwest-based chain of wing restaurants. When the topic of company culture came up, he shrugged.

“We don’t focus much on it,” he said. “We train well, keep the team moving, and the numbers speak for themselves.”

He wasn’t being flippant. He was being honest. And frankly, I appreciated it.

We’ve reached a point where “culture” is being treated as gospel. Every leadership book, HR consultant, and social media influencer is preaching the power of values and vision boards. But that moment on the panel reminded me to ask something simple—and maybe uncomfortable: Are we making too much of company culture?

Why This Conversation Matters for Growth Companies

As a strategist working with growth companies, I see the tension every day: owners want to scale their businesses without being overwhelmed by complexity. They care about performance, execution, and people—but they're also skeptical of corporate buzzwords.

And in the world of small and mid-sized businesses, culture has started to feel like one of those words. So let’s take a closer look at what company culture is, when it matters, and how to make it work without turning it into fluff.

You Already Have a Culture—Whether You Intended To or Not

Let’s clear up one myth right now: Culture isn’t optional. You have one—whether you designed it or not.

Culture is how your team behaves when no one’s watching.

It’s the unspoken rules. It’s what gets rewarded, what gets ignored, and what people say to new hires when leadership isn’t around.

In most early-stage or founder-led businesses, culture is the personality of the owner being played out in real-time. If you're high-energy, hands-on, and flexible, your team likely is too. If you're cautious and consistent, they take that cue.

You don’t need a mission statement to have a culture. However, as the business grows, relying solely on personality won’t scale.

When Culture Becomes Strategic (and Necessary)

Here’s when culture shifts from background music to center stage:

• You’re no longer in every meeting or client conversation.

• New hires are being trained by people you hired.

• Team friction, confusion, or silos begin to appear.

• You’re promoting managers and need consistency in leadership.

This is the threshold at which informal culture begins to fail. What used to be instinctive needs to be made explicit. That’s not about branding—it’s about behavioral clarity.

If you don’t define how you want people to work together, they’ll define it for you. And not always in ways that help.

Yes, Culture Is Overhyped—And That’s a Problem

Culture matters, but the business world has turned it into something it’s not:

• A marketing tool

• A feel-good HR campaign

• A stand-in for authentic leadership

I’ve read the same studies you have: “Only 20% of employees feel connected to their company’s culture.” That sounds dramatic. But let’s be honest—do most people need to feel emotionally bonded to a company’s culture to do great work?

Not always.

In some businesses, particularly in retail, food service, and logistics, people want fair treatment, good pay, and clear expectations. That is the culture.

Culture isn’t about warm fuzzies. It’s about whether your workplace supports or sabotages your goals.

What Shapes Company Culture

Forget the slogans for a minute. Here’s what builds your company’s culture:

• What leaders tolerate

• What gets rewarded or ignored

• Who gets hired—and who gets fired

• How conflict is handled

• Which stories get told around the shop, office, or Zoom call

  
  

If your stated values are “respect” and “accountability,” but your top performer trashes teammates and gets a bonus anyway, that’s your authentic culture.

Culture isn’t what you say. It’s what people repeat.

How Culture Affects the Entire Business

So what does all this mean for growing businesses? A strong, functional culture helps you:

Business Area	Cultural Impact
Retention	Teams stay longer when expectations are clear
Execution	Shared norms reduce friction and speed decisions
Delegation	Culture defines how authority is handled
Customer Service	Internal clarity shows up externally
Scalability	Culture makes behavior consistent across teams

And yes, when culture is bad, everything slows down. Everything breaks faster. You lose people, momentum, and reputation.

If You’re Going to Build It, Build It Intentionally

If you’re a founder or business owner, don’t let culture become another buzzword you feel pressured to “fix.”

Instead, ask:

• Is my team’s default behavior aligned with our business goals?

• Are we reinforcing what we say we value?

• Are we scaling behaviors that help us win, or ones that slow us down?

Because culture, at its best, is quiet. Practical. Predictable. It helps you move faster with fewer misunderstandings—and lets your team know how to win together.

And if your culture’s not working? Don’t hire a branding firm. Start with a whiteboard and a conversation about behavior.

Need a Strategic Eye on Your Culture?

If you’re growing and need help making sure your company culture supports your next stage, not undermines it, I’d be glad to help. Designing the right kind of culture isn’t fluff. It’s strategic clarity.

📞 Book a quick strategy call 🌐 Visit: www.slarkconsultinggroup.com