The Culture Myth: Higher Performance Doesn't Mean Bad Culture

I've heard enough comments about culture in recent months that I'm noticing a theme...

The comments go like this:

"We don't want to push our people too much and jeopardize our culture." "We're concerned aggressive growth is going to change our culture."
"We have a strong culture of _________, we don't want to lose that."

Culture is often made out to be the antithesis of performance.

So if you're a high-performing organization that means you have a bad culture? Not from my experience...

I've been thinking about it this week and here's the thing:

Culture and results are not mutually exclusive.

During my time at Baker Tilly, the firm tripled in size, and from my perspective, (and I believe many of my colleagues would feel the same) our culture was as strong (and attractive) as any firm out there.

What's Really Behind "Maintaining Culture"?

I believe culture is often used (unfairly) as a scapegoat.

When firms play the "maintaining culture" card, I think it's a signal that firm leadership:

• Is fearful of rocking the boat

• Isn't sure what steps to take to grow

• Lacks confidence in their team's ability to achieve more

• Lacks confidence in their ability to lead towards higher results

• Is ok maintaining the status quo

So the attention is placed on wanting to "maintain culture" as though culture and results cannot co-exist.

Frankly, I think that's BS.

If you are ok maintaining the status quo, that's fine! But let's call a spade a spade and stop pointing to culture as the reason to excuse aiming for more.

What Makes a Great Culture

Great culture isn't about office parties, happy hours, pet insurance, other benefits, or even letting people do what they want or how they want. Those things are simply features and frankly, they can be used as bandaids to hide underlying cultural issues.

A great culture is also not built from everyone being happy all the time or making sure no one is upset.

Healthy debate, differing viewpoints, and constructive criticism are all positive things that may not always feel "good" in the moment.

From my perspective, a great culture is built from:

• Collaboration - An inclusive environment where people work together.

• Partnership - It's a "we" effort and goals and incentives reflect that.

• Intentional Development - Individual growth is prioritized and invested in.

• Team Atmosphere - Everyone knows their value and their role.

• Responsibility - Team members take ownership of their work.

• Discipline - There's a clear strategy and focus on the most meaningful work.

• Inclusion - People are included and represented in the decision-making process.

• Trust - People are empowered to do their work how, when, and where they want.

• Diversity - The team is made up of people with various backgrounds, beliefs, and skill sets.

If those things make up a great culture, what's so bad about that? Wouldn't these cultural aspects be supportive of high performance?

I sure think so...

The Real Relationship Between Culture and Results

Culture and results are not mutually exclusive.

High performance does not have to equate to poor culture just as much as great culture does not have to mean lesser performance.

In fact, I see great culture as the foundation and enabler of great results.

Things like inclusion, trust, teamwork, and discipline are necessary ingredients for performance.

And here's where it gets really fun...

Those results start to feed back into the culture.

I mean, who doesn't like winning?

That's where we found ourselves at Baker Tilly. We had a great strategy, a great team, and we built a strong foundation of a culture of collaboration that propelled our growth. That growth fed right back into the culture.

So let's stop painting culture as the enemy of high performance. And let's stop assuming that organizations that perform well must have bad cultures.

When done well, great culture and great results go hand in hand.

The question every firm should be asking is: “What will it take to build a great culture that enables high performance and growth in my firm?”.

I've had a great time sharing my experiences with CEOs and helping them navigate culture and results in an intentional way.

For example, I've recently been working with a CEO on how to communicate aggressive 2025 growth goals in a way that rallies people and inspires action rather than overwhelm.

I'd welcome the opportunity to discuss your unique situation and goals. You can use this link to book time on my calendar. I look forward to speaking with a handful of you who have already booked calls in December.

With intention,
Alan D Whitman