Organizational Culture

I learned this the hard way in my 2nd year as CEO. I had someone on my team who always agreed with me. Made me feel smart. Made decisions easy. Then I had someone who constantly pushed back. Made me uncomfortable. Made meetings tense. Guess which one saved me from my worst decision? The one who challenged me. That's when I realized: Surrounding yourself with "yes people" doesn't make you a strong leader. It makes you a fragile one. Because real strength isn't protecting your ego. It's protecting your company from your own blind spots. 7 signs you're a leader who embraces challenge: 1. You ask "What am I missing?" not just "Do you agree?" → The question reveals your intent. 2. You publicly thank the person who disagrees → Not privately. Publicly. So others see it's safe. 3. You hire people smarter than you → Then you actually listen to them. 4. You change your mind when presented with better ideas → And you announce it without shame. 5. You stay curious when challenged, not defensive → "Tell me more" not "Let me explain". 6. Your best ideas come from your team, not just you → And you give them credit for it. 7. The quiet people on your team speak up → Because they know their voice matters. Look... Yes-people protect your feelings. That may feel good to your ego. But truth-tellers protect your future. Choose wisely. The best leaders don't need agreement. They need growth. And growth only happens when someone cares enough to tell you the truth. If everyone around you always agrees? You're not leading. You're just surrounded by people who don't trust you enough to be honest. That's not a team. That's a problem. Build a culture where challenge is celebrated, not punished. Where "I disagree" is followed by "tell me why." Where the best idea wins, regardless of who said it. Because the truth is: Your team's courage to challenge you is a direct reflection of your leadership. Make it safe. Make it the norm. That's how great companies are built. Have you ever been saved by someone who challenged you? Share in the comments 👇 P.S. I'm hosting a FREE workshop next week. "How to Accelerate Sales Growth For Your Business" Thu Dec 11th, 12 noon Eastern / 5pm UK time Join me: https://lnkd.in/ei6pYH8c Ready to become a world-class CEO? 50+ have already applied to our Jan cohort of The Founder & CEO Accelerator Earlybird offer ends soon. Learn more and apply: https://lnkd.in/eYTsisaa ♻️ Repost to help a leader in your network. Follow Eric Partaker for more leadership insights.

If your team isn’t telling you the truth, your business is already in trouble. Alan Mulally saw this at Ford. The company was losing billions, yet every leader reported “all green.” Why? Because under the old CEO, red meant you were out of a job. Mulally changed the culture. He praised candor, not perfection. Red became a chance to rally support—not assign blame. That shift unlocked the truth and helped save Ford. Great leaders don’t demand good news. They create safety so their teams can tell them the truth. Here’s how: 1️⃣ Create safety for honesty. 2️⃣ Keep reporting binary: on track/off track. 3️⃣ Reward the truth, even when it stings. 4️⃣ Rally the team to solve problems together. 5️⃣ Set ambitious goals—some red means you’re pushing hard enough.

One image just disrupted a £22 billion fashion empire more effectively than a thousand sustainability reports. 🔥 This isn't an official SHEIN campaign gone wrong. It's artist Emanuele Morelli's AI creation—a haunting visualisation showing what fast fashion's "affordability" really costs us. The image speaks volumes: a SHEIN billboard where the model's flowing dress transforms into a cascade of textile waste. Art communicating what statistics alone cannot. 5 uncomfortable truths this image forces us to confront: 1. The scale of fashion waste is staggering → 92 million tonnes of textile waste produced annually  → The equivalent of one rubbish lorry of textiles dumped every second  → Most fast fashion items designed to be worn fewer than 10 times 2. The business model depends on our amnesia → Constantly changing trends keep us buying  → Ultra-low prices remove financial friction  → Digital marketing creates artificial scarcity and FOMO  → We're trained to forget yesterday's purchases 3. The true cost isn't on the price tag → Environmental damage from production chemicals  → Microplastics shedding into water systems  → Supply chain ethics compromised for speed and cost  → Communities near production sites bearing health consequences 4. Our definition of "affordable" is broken → When clothing is cheaper than a coffee, someone else is paying  → True cost spread across communities, environments, and future generations  → Psychological cost of constant consumption never factored in 5. Solutions exist but require systemic change → Circular fashion models gaining traction  → Rental and resale markets growing rapidly  → Consumer awareness rising but needs to translate to behaviour While SHEIN isn't the only culprit in the fast fashion ecosystem, Morelli's artwork throws a spotlight on an uncomfortable reality we've normalised. What we wear reflects our values more than our taste. What is your wardrobe saying about yours? Image: Emanuele Morelli ♻️ Found this helpful? Repost to share with your network.  ⚡ Want more content like this? Hit follow Maya Moufarek.

What happens when a legacy CPG giant like PepsiCo acquires a fast-growing disruptor like Poppi? It’s a blueprint for the future of FMCG. PepsiCo has spent years evolving its portfolio, shifting toward healthier, functional, and better-for-you options. From acquiring Siete Family Foods to Sabra Dipping Company, and now Poppi, they’re doubling down on what today’s consumers want: ✅ Functional Ingredients: Poppi taps into the gut health boom, projected to reach $72B+ globally by 2032 (Source: Market Research Future® (MRFR)). Consumers aren’t just looking for hydration—they want drinks that boost immunity, digestion, and energy. ✅ Premiumization of Soda: Traditional soda sales have declined by 12% in the last decade, while functional and prebiotic sodas are growing 35% YoY (Source: Beverage Digest). Brands like Poppi prove that consumers will pay a premium for added health benefits. ✅ The Power of Challenger Brands: Nearly 60% of Gen Z & Millennials say they trust emerging brands more than Big CPG (Source: McKinsey & Company). PepsiCo knows the future belongs to brands that feel authentic, mission-driven, and community-led. So, The “Big Food vs. Challenger Brand” battle is over-it’s now about collaboration. Legacy brands need disruptors to stay relevant. Health & wellness aren’t trends-they’re becoming industry standards. If a brand isn’t innovating in functional benefits, it’s already falling behind. The next wave of acquisitions? Expect strategic buys in functional beverages, gut health, and personalized nutrition. This is just the beginning. Are Big CPGs moving fast enough to keep up with evolving consumer demands? #FMCG #PepsiCo #Poppi #GutHealth #ConsumerTrends #MergersAndAcquisitions #FoodAndBeverage

The most expensive mistake in business isn't financial - it's cultural. Here's the data... Last month, I watched a "successful" company implode. - Revenue was up 40% - Profits were soaring - Growth was explosive But something was rotting from within. The numbers told one story. The empty desks told another. Get Real-time Interview Assistance Here- https://bit.ly/4h3iGd7 Create Free Cover letter Here- https://bit.ly/406H1rK Get Jobs & Internship Updates Join Below:- . WhatsApp👉 https://lnkd.in/ghPTzV6m . Telegram👉 https://lnkd.in/ePxtYkFH . Here's what the research reveals about culture's true cost: 1. The Hidden Multiplier: • Companies with strong cultures see 72% higher employee engagement • Engaged teams are 21% more profitable • Positive workplace cultures boost productivity by 30% 2. The Expensive Exodus: • Poor culture doubles employee turnover • Each lost employee costs 1.5-2x their salary • High performers flee toxic cultures first But here's what fascinated me most: Louis Gerstner (Former IBM CEO) said it perfectly: "Culture isn't just one aspect of the game - it is the game" The science backs him up: 3 Critical Culture Metrics: • Employee engagement • Customer satisfaction • Cash flow When one falls, the others follow. I learned this lesson the hard way: Skills? Outstanding. Results? Exceptional. Culture? Toxic. Within 6 months: - 4 top performers quit - Client satisfaction plummeted - Innovation stopped Then everything changed. We rebuilt around 3 culture principles: 1. Trust Over Control (Give people autonomy to make decisions) 2. Growth Over Performance (Invest in development, not just results) 3. Purpose Over Profit (Connect work to meaningful impact) The results? • Employee turnover dropped 50% • Productivity jumped 40% • Innovation flourished The Oxford research is clear: A positive culture doesn't just feel better. It performs better. Your culture is your company's immune system. Strong? It fights off problems. Weak? Everything becomes a crisis. Is your culture multiplying your success? Or dividing your potential? The answer might be worth millions. What's one thing you're doing to build a stronger culture?

Louder for the people at the back 🎤 Many organisations today seem to have shifted from being institutions that develop great talent to those that primarily seek ready-made talent. This trend overlooks the immense value of individuals who, despite lacking experience, possess a great attitude, commitment, and a team-oriented mindset. These qualities often outweigh the drawbacks of hiring experienced individuals with a fixed and toxic mindset. The best organisations attract talent with their best years ahead of them, focusing on potential rather than past achievements. Let’s be clear this is more about mindset and willingness to learn and unlearn as apposed to age. To realise the incredible potential return, organisations must commit to creating an environment where continuous development is possible. This requires a multi-faceted approach: 1. Robust Training Programmes: Employers should invest in comprehensive training programmes that equip employees with the necessary skills for their roles. This includes on-the-job training, mentorship programmes, online courses, and workshops. 2. Redefining Hiring Criteria: Organisations should revise their hiring criteria to focus more on candidates’ potential and willingness to learn rather than solely on prior experience or formal qualifications. Behavioural interviews, aptitude tests, and probationary periods can help assess a candidate's ability to learn and adapt. 3. Partnerships with Educational Institutions: Companies can collaborate with educational institutions to design curricula that align with industry needs. Apprenticeship programmes, internships, and cooperative education can bridge the gap between academic learning and practical job skills. 4. Lifelong Learning Culture: Encouraging a culture of lifelong learning within organisations is crucial. Employers should provide ongoing education opportunities and support for professional development. This includes continuous skills assessment and access to resources for upskilling and reskilling. 5. Inclusive Recruitment Practices: Employers should implement inclusive recruitment practices that remove biases and barriers. Blind recruitment, diversity quotas, and targeted outreach programmes can help ensure that diverse candidates are given a fair chance. By implementing these measures, organisations can develop a workforce that is adaptable, innovative, and resilient, ensuring sustainable success and growth.

Should you try Google’s famous “20% time” experiment to encourage innovation? We tried this at Duolingo years ago. It didn’t work. It wasn’t enough time for people to start meaningful projects, and very few people took advantage of it because the framework was pretty vague. I knew there had to be other ways to drive innovation at the company. So, here are 3 other initiatives we’ve tried, what we’ve learned from each, and what we're going to try next. 💡 Innovation Awards: Annual recognition for those who move the needle with boundary-pushing projects. The upside: These awards make our commitment to innovation clear, and offer a well-deserved incentive to those who have done remarkable work. The downside: It’s given to individuals, but we want to incentivize team work. What’s more, it’s not necessarily a framework for coming up with the next big thing. 💻 Hackathon: This is a good framework, and lots of companies do it. Everyone (not just engineers) can take two days to collaborate on and present anything that excites them, as long as it advances our mission or addresses a key business need. The upside: Some of our biggest features grew out of hackathon projects, from the Duolingo English Test (born at our first hackathon in 2013) to our avatar builder. The downside: Other than the time/resource constraint, projects rarely align with our current priorities. The ones that take off hit the elusive combo of right time + a problem that no other team could tackle. 💥 Special Projects: Knowing that ideal equation, we started a new program for fostering innovation, playfully dubbed DARPA (Duolingo Advanced Research Project Agency). The idea: anyone can pitch an idea at any time. If they get consensus on it and if it’s not in the purview of another team, a cross-functional group is formed to bring the project to fruition. The most creative work tends to happen when a problem is not in the clear purview of a particular team; this program creates a path for bringing these kinds of interdisciplinary ideas to life. Our Duo and Lily mascot suits (featured often on our social accounts) came from this, as did our Duo plushie and the merch store. (And if this photo doesn't show why we needed to innovate for new suits, I don't know what will!) The biggest challenge: figuring out how to transition ownership of a successful project after the strike team’s work is done. 👀 What’s next? We’re working on a program that proactively identifies big picture, unassigned problems that we haven’t figured out yet and then incentivizes people to create proposals for solving them. How that will work is still to be determined, but we know there is a lot of fertile ground for it to take root. How does your company create an environment of creativity that encourages true innovation? I'm interested to hear what's worked for you, so please feel free to share in the comments! #duolingo #innovation #hackathon #creativity #bigideas

Here’s 14 things that can be invisible to men in the workplace And they all involve women Men rarely notice That women are more likely To be interrupted To be on the outside of social workplace networks To be judged more harshly and punished for underperformance or mistakes To have their credentials or competence questioned or be expected to provide evidence To be promoted on previous performance rather than future potential To be negatively judged for being assertive or ambitious To be given non promotive tasks and work housework And that women are less likely To be sponsored or given similar progress opportunities To get space to contribute in meetings To be give clear, actionable feedback To be seen as deserving promotion to leadership To be given stretch projects and high profile assignments To be consider for promotive work when they are mothers To have airtime with those most senior in their organisation I can honestly say I wasn’t noticing these in my early career. A lot of my focus went on following the advice of working twice as hard, as a young Black lad from a lower socioeconomic background. My own microaggressions blurred my vision of gender biases. And if you can’t see them, and they don’t happen to you, how can you challenge them? Studies show that men’s awareness and ability to act is four times higher after they partake in allyship training which highlights gender biases and microaggressions. Suddenly they see inequity they couldn’t see before. And they can’t unsee it. The opportunities to tackle them increase, practicing the skills of allyship. Having been through that process myself I can say that taking the blindfold off is an uncomfortable reality check But it is also empowering, and makes your curious about what else you might not be seeing. A world that was black and white, suddenly was a world full of colour And this is just one of the reasons why I’m passionate about bringing allyship to organisations and stages across the country Becoming accomplices, rather than opposition Because everyone benefits when we shine a light on each others blind spots What would you add to the list?

What makes an organization worth existing? This critical question is barely asked enough and certainly not answered enough. Evaluate your organization along these 3Ps to assess its value and necessity. Many organizations are there because… yes, because of what actually? The general (capitalist) answer is that they generate employment and economic value and thereby contribute to economic prosperity. Whether we agree or disagree, it is still merely a general answer. It doesn’t tell why any particular organization should or should not exist. To get a better answer, we need to look at which aspects of an organization make it worth existing. There are three: Product, Place, and Purpose PRODUCT - The organization as product/service producer The most tangible contribution any organization makes are its products and services. It is these that create value for customers and thereby make the organization meaningful to at least a select group of people or organizations. The key question to ask here is: do the organization’s products and services make it worth existing? PLACE - The organization as working environment Organizations are not merely product and service producers. They are also a place where people come together, interact and form relationships. This makes them worth existing as well, this time not for customers, but for employees. The key question to ask here is: does the organization’s working environment make it worth existing? PURPOSE - The organization as impact maker The third source of worth is an organization’s purpose. This concerns what it aims to achieve in the world and which significant problem(s) it chooses to address. It may not be able to solve them alone, but it can make a contribution that matters.  The key question to ask here is: does the organization’s purpose make it worth existing? The most valuable organizations answer a convincing “yes!” to all three questions. Their products and services address a real need, their working environment is great for people, and they contribute to a better world as well. This means that, if you want your organization to be worth existing, the goal is to score a yes on all three aspects. It doesn’t mean your organization shouldn’t exist if it only addresses two or even one aspect. Maybe your products are not really great and you haven’t managed to create a great working space yet either. But your purpose matters a lot. Then your organization is worth existing—and you know where to improve. Or, maybe your purpose is merely making money, but your products serve a real need and you offer a great working place where people flourish and grow. Then your organization is worth existing—and you know where to improve. Now look at your own organization. Is it worth existing on all three aspects? If not yet, where’s the biggest improvement? #organizationaldevelopment #companyculture #leadershipmindset

Leaders' overreliance on "DEI programming" is one of the biggest barriers in the way of real progress toward achieving #diversity, #equity, and #inclusion. Do you know where these events came from? The lunch and learns, cultural heritage celebrations, book clubs, and the like? Historically, these were all events put on by volunteer advocates and activists from marginalized communities who had little to no access to formal power and yet were still trying to carve out spaces for themselves in hostile environments. For leaders to hire figureheads to "manage" these volunteer efforts, refuse to resource them, and then take credit for the meager impact made nonetheless is nothing short of exploitation. If your workplace's "DEI Function" is a single director-level employee with an executive assistant who spends all day trying to coax more and more events out of your employee resource groups? I'm sorry to say that you are part of the problem. Effective DEI work is change management, plain and simple. It's cross-functional by necessity, requiring the ongoing exercise of power by executive leadership across all functions, the guidance and follow-through of middle management, the insight of data analysts and communicators, and the energy and momentum of frontline workers. There is no reality where "optional fill-in-the-blank history month celebrations" organized by overworked volunteers, no matter how many or how flashy, can serve as a substitute. If your workplace actually wants to achieve DEI, resource it like you would any other organization-level goal. 🎯 Hire a C-Level executive responsible for it or add the job responsibility to an existing cross-functional executive (e.g., Chief People Officer) 🎯 Give that leader cross-functional authority, mandate, headcount, and resources to work with other executives and managers across the organization on culture, process, policy, and behavior change 🎯 Set expectations with all other leaders that DEI-related outcomes will be included in their evaluation and responsibility (e.g., every department leader is responsible for their employees' belonging scores and culture of respect in their department). 🎯 Encourage responsible boundary-setting and scoping of volunteer engagement, ensuring that if Employee Resource Groups and DEI Councils/Committees want to put on events, it is because they are energized and supported to do so—not because they feel forced to run on fumes because it's the only way any impact will be made. It's long past time for our workplaces' DEI strategies to modernize away from the volunteer exploitation of "DEI programming" toward genuine organizational transformation. What steps will your leaders take to be a part of this future?