Wings, Wigs, and Workplace Culture

Start building a great culture by first caring about it. “80% of success is showing up” - Woody Allen

Going into the new year, every conversation I’m having with clients is about growth, margins, and getting deals done. Very few people are talking about culture, yet it’s a critical element of success. 

Why does culture matter? Culture eats strategy for breakfast. This was the famous line from Peter Drucker. Culture is the essence of your company. It’s how quickly your employees respond to clients and the quality of products launched to the type of talent you attract and retain.

When I was building the channel team at Yelp, I was given the opportunity to hire my first 3 reps. We had no structure and were working off spreadsheets, but clearly showing progress through revenue. I was working crazy hours, and the team was right there beside me. 

We worked hard and played hard. I didn’t have a budget for the first offsite so the four of us went to Wing Wednesday on Polk street in San Francisco and I got us $50 bucks worth of wings and beer. After that we went to trivia night and spent hours playing together. To this day it was one of the most memorable team events I’ve ever been to.

There's no need for an elaborate steak dinner or a hefty budget for every offsite; simply focus on spending quality time together and fostering genuine connections.

When Halloween came around, we committed to dressing up as the Channel 5 news team from Anchorman. We were, after all, the Channel Sales team. 

It was the day before Halloween, and I was going to a costume store in the Outer Mission after work to grab a wig. That day, I received a response from an executive at another company, someone I'd been reaching out to for some time, regarding a potential partnership with Yelp. I took the call after hours, thinking I had plenty of time to get to the costume store.

The meeting went long and ultimately didn’t lead to a deal. Now, at this point, I’m running late to the wig shop and have 30 minutes to get there. I quickly hop in an Uber and race there, only to arrive 2 minutes after they closed. I see the owner, a sweet lady, walking upstairs and waving her hands to signal that the store was closed. It’s now 9PM on Halloween Eve, and I am running out of options to make sure we can get this picture the next morning. 

I see the light upstairs go on, and, in a last-ditch effort, I start knocking on the door and yelling “I was late and need this outfit! It was my fault because my last call went over. I’m Ron Burgundy, so I really can’t mess up this photo, I need a wig!” Keep in mind, I’m standing in Mission District at 9PM, yelling at a closed wig shop. 

The nice owner opened the door with a smile and said “you’re really committed,” and we had a good laugh. I didn’t want to let the team down, and I was willing to embarrass myself to get that wig and wear it.  

So how do you build a great culture? There are a lot of ways to answer that question, but you start by caring about it. As Woody Allen brilliantly said, “80% of success is showing up.”  

🚨 Block off 60 minutes with your leadership team in the first week of this year, and discuss the culture that each of you would love to work in everyday. Pick out a few key pillars, and work to reinforce those pillars throughout the year. It’s worth caring about!

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