Shhhh! Company Culture Is Actually Your Ultimate Competitive Advantage

Have you ever tried to recruit someone away from Starbucks corporate? 

I have. And this is how it went:

“I started there as a barista with a musical theater degree and they promoted me and developed me into a position with a multiple six-figure salary. I leave when I retire.”

“I’m 100% remote, they gave me paid time off when I adopted my daughter, and they covered 20 free health coaching sessions when I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Why would I ever go someplace else?”

“They have an on-site gym and daycare! The thought of giving that up - how it would impact my day-to-day life? You’d have to double my salary to get me to leave.”

If you’re a CHRO, you know the stakes of getting company culture right. It’s not just about attracting talent—it’s about keeping them engaged, inspiring them to innovate, and empowering them to bring their best selves to work every day.

But let’s be honest: culture often takes a backseat during rapid growth or change, and that can lead to some serious missteps.

A strong culture isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s the glue that keeps teams aligned, sparks productivity, and gives your organization a competitive edge. Companies with high employee engagement are 21% more profitable, according to a Gallup study. Culture shapes everything from the employee experience to innovation, customer satisfaction, and long-term success.

As the business landscape evolves, your approach to culture needs to evolve too. Below, we’ll dive into why culture is essential when scaling your organization and share four creative strategies for building it up.

Why company culture is especially important when you’re scaling

  1. Enhances resilience during change
    Scaling brings challenges like adopting new processes and confronting market pressures. A strong cultural foundation helps your team stay focused, aligned, and adaptable in the face of uncertainty.

  2. Prevents growing pains
    Misaligned values and disengaged employees can dilute your company’s productivity. A strong, cohesive culture mitigates these risks, acting as your north star during rapid growth.

  3. Drives competitive differentiation
    Your unique culture is a secret weapon. It becomes part of your company brand. It’s nearly impossible to copy and can set you apart from competitors in a way that products and strategies can’t.

These benefits don’t happen by accident—they require deliberate action. Let’s explore four fresh strategies to help you build a thriving culture.

Four innovative ways to build culture in your organization

1. Use culture as a compass for decision-making

Culture should guide decisions at every level. For example, Netflix has embraced a culture of independent thought and personal responsibility, enabling employees to make decisions without bureaucratic oversight. This approach not only aligns with their values but also fosters innovation and accountability.

Actionable tip: Make culture a standing item in leadership meetings. Review how recent decisions align with your company values and hold teams accountable for living those values. This shows that culture is more than just talk—it’s a daily priority.

2. Prioritize employee well-being as a strategic goal

Progressive employee benefits shouldn’t stop at yoga classes or free snacks. Salesforce, for example, offers mindfulness zones, wellness reimbursements, and generous time-off policies. Their comprehensive approach to employee well-being and satisfaction has earned them a reputation as one of the best places to work.

Actionable tip: Include employee satisfaction in manager evaluations. Rate leaders not just on results but on how well they support their teams’ development and aspirations. This sends a clear message that employee wellness and satisfaction matters.

3. Leverage storytelling to unite teams

Stories are one of the most powerful ways to connect people to your company’s mission and values. Airbnb regularly shares stories from both hosts and guests to highlight the meaningful connections their platform creates. This storytelling approach helps employees feel a deeper connection to the company’s purpose.

Actionable tip: Build a “culture library”—a collection of stories that highlight your values in action. Train managers to share these in team meetings or during onboarding to inspire and align employees.

4. Create a feedback-rich environment

Feedback is the heartbeat of a thriving culture, but most companies don’t do it well. At Google, for example, employees are encouraged to give continuous feedback through tools like their gTeams survey, which provides actionable insights for managers and teams. This commitment to open communication has been a key driver of their high-performance culture.

Actionable tip: Use monthly pulse surveys to gather real-time feedback. Show employees you’re listening by acting on their insights quickly, creating a culture of trust and engagement. (Sidenote: if you tend to give feedback that’s so “gentle” that people don’t realize they’re getting feedback, this will help.) 

Championing culture as a CHRO

As a CHRO, you have the power to shape culture in meaningful ways. By embedding values into decision-making, prioritizing well-being, fostering connections through storytelling, and building a feedback-rich environment, you can set your organization up for long-term success. 

Culture isn’t static—it’s a living force that evolves with your company. Ready to make it your secret weapon? Grab a spot on my calendar and let’s chat about how we can help you find or create leaders who elevate your culture to new heights!

Testimonials

Tammy is unlike any recruiter I've ever worked with; she is one of the best. While most search firms focus on the client, Tammy understands that for the client to succeed in its search goals, she needs to equally represent the candidate. She works tirelessly to help the candidate evaluate the opportunity to determine whether it's right for them. Her authentic desire is to help the candidate make the right decision.

— Alexandra Aleskovsky, President & CEO

We hire TKJ Executive Search because they introduce highly qualified candidates in a quick timeframe and we always feel like true partners in their process. They take the time to understand our business so they can really pinpoint the need, and they are invaluable for broadening our talent ranks with hires from new industries. Their approach is creative and out of the box. They can meet the demands of any search we put before them, regardless of function.

— Lori Massad, SVP Human Resources and Chief Talent Officer, Alliance Bernstein

TKJ Executive Search gets the job done every time in an efficient manner. They quickly understand the nuance of situations, and they get the chemistry fit. Their team has open and honest styles and they connect well with candidates, making them great ambassadors for our company.

— Ellen Shedlarz, Former SVP HR Ziff Brothers Investments and Former Chief Operations Officer, Global Talent Management Group, Morgan Stanley

TKJ Executive Search takes a uniquely thoughtful approach to finding the best person, not only for a position but also as a match for our organization and culture. To be able to collaborate on the important nuances makes all the difference. They are highly intuitive, deliberative and thorough, and they are authentic partners with their clients.

— Sarah Cox, Manager, Talent Management, L.L. Bean

Tammy understands me in a way I never would have expected from a search partner. She helped me hire a Head of HR years ago when I ran a media business and that hire was such a perfect fit as my business partner that I have taken her with me to several new businesses. Creating a match like this is a rare feat for a recruiter.

— Kerry Hatch, Former COO, Global Client Services, Axciom

I have hired Tammy many times as a recruiter and as a coach. As a recruiter, she is thoughtful, creative, and delivers results quickly. As a coach, she helped the CEO in one of my previous companies become aware of the consequences of his behavior — and, together, they made some critical and high impact adjustments. Tammy is the real deal and a great partner.

— Michael Bruno, former CHRO Muscular Dystrophy Association, IAC and Rodale

TKJ Executive Search exceeded our expectations, a rarity from an executive search firm. We met our first CHRO candidates in week three and selected our finalists in week six. The quality and caliber of each candidate made the vetting process positively challenging; fortunately, the TKJ team’s candid and collaborative input helped make this easier. A pleasant surprise was the unsolicited positive feedback from the candidates about their experience with TKJ — a positive reflection on our company. I would partner with TKJ again in a heartbeat.

— Kevin Doran, Senior HR and Communications Leader, PQ Corporation

TKJ Executive Search is our recruiter of choice. They find solutions to some of our more complex hiring needs, and their placements deliver high impact. What I most value is their approach as thoughtful partners — we always know the search progress, what makes each candidate compelling, and what we need to explore and emphasize in each interview conversation. I have complete trust in Tammy’s instincts and counsel.

— Susan Grimbilas, Partner and Managing Director, Head Of HR And Operations for North America, The Boston Consulting Group

I selected TKJ Executive Search as a search partner after a thorough comparison with other firms, and I was delighted with my choice for our Head of Talent. I have high expectations and they exceeded them because they made a challenging search seem easy. A key to their approach was the extensive amount of time they invested up front to understand me and my drivers, our Firm and our culture, and the reasons and motivations for our hiring decision. Then Tammy guided me in custom questions to ask each candidate, and she observed my interviews which helped me refine my approach and confirm my selection. She redefined for me the concept of partnership.

— Jennifer Stier, COO, Highfields Capital Management

There is a boundary-less aspect to Tammy's work. It's integrated and she goes deep. She understands that a hire is a reflection of the leader, so she puts herself in my shoes. Her coaching experience makes her a forward-looking search partner; beyond searching for a fit for the role, she works to understand and anticipate how the role might change over time. And now that I have used Tammy in multiple capacities and in multiple organizations, I can attest to how powerful that is.

— Hy Pomerance, Chief Talent Officer, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP