4 ms·
Tony's a genius, but it's important not to cargo cult this. "Culture-first" worked at Zappos because of the specific culture they chose to pursue, namely an in
by ftio 6y ago
Tony's a genius, but it's important not to cargo cult this.
"Culture-first" worked at Zappos because of the specific culture they chose to pursue, namely an intensely customer-centric one. At that point, their culture is not merely culture but also strategy: we will win in this market by rejecting short-term optimization (charging for returns, spending less on customer support agents) in favor of long-term thinking that will produce customer loyalty and thus long-term success.
I know, I know. Culture eats strategy for breakfast. But the reality is that if you want to build a successful business that isn't a daily soul-sucking grind (strategy only) or a fluffy wannabe 'startup' flapping in the wind (culture only), you need both.
- jacobr1 6y agoOr put another way, culture isn't separate from strategy, but rather the type of culture you have must be part of your strategy, or it will undermine it. If your strategy is to spit out tons of different ideas and productize the best, maybe a culture of "move fast and break things" makes sense. If you have a strategy of "ensure both regulators and customers trust we manage money effectively" maybe a culture of risk-aversion makes more sense. The "Culture eats strategy for breakfast" is really a shortcut for that fact that rapid business-change is a reality for all businesses now, not just startups, so a culture that supports innovation and creativity will trump others given time. But that needs to be integrated into other cultural values as part of the strategy and environment that will allow it flourish.
- ftio 6y agoI don't know you, but I know I'd like working with you. Spot on framing, and thanks for the clarification on breakfast — I didn't realize that was the original context for it.