How do you maintain company culture during rapid growth?

The answers focus on proactive communication, team structure, hiring practices, and empowering employees to preserve company culture during periods of rapid growth.

8 answers

Answers

  • Eric Glyman

    Co-Founder, Co-CEO · Ramp

    Break teams at 8–12

    Eric Glyman says one practice his company still maintains is breaking up teams once they reach 8–12 people, so small teams have clear ownership and people can make decisions and own them.

    Joe Lonsdale · Watch on YouTube

  • Sam Parr

    Co-Founder · Hampton

    Hard conversations on day one

    Sam Parr says having hard conversations on the first day is important to maintain alignment and company culture, as it helps clarify expectations early and avoid mismatches.

    Antler Global · Watch on YouTube

  • Andy Frisella

    Chief Executive Officer · 1st Phorm International

    Allow mistakes as learning

    Andy Frisella says leaders should allow mistakes made in good faith, viewing them as an investment in employees' skill sets rather than firing them, because you can't scale without giving others responsibility.

    Andy Frisella · Watch on YouTube

  • Anshu Sharma

    Co-founder & CEO · Skyflow

    70% hiring, 30% firing

    Anshu Sharma says the practical step is hiring, which he would frame as 70% hiring and 30% firing, with everything else taking care of itself.

    Foundation Capital · Watch on YouTube

  • Harshil Mathur

    CEO & Co-Founder · Razorpay

    Pay smallest customers first

    Harshil Mathur says he chose to pay the smallest customers first, before the largest, because those small businesses would die without the cash while big ones had enough liquidity to stay afloat.

    Fintech Leaders · Fintech Leaders · Read

  • Danny Meyer

    Founder · Hospitality Quotient

    Use words to teach

    Danny Meyer says that over time he started using his words to teach team members what mattered, rather than only embodying the behaviors he wanted, because it isn't fair to ask them to guess what really matters.

    HBR IdeaCast · HBR IdeaCast · Listen at 2:01

  • Neil Patel

    Co-Founder · Np Digital

    Public direct feedback

    Neil Patel says he told hires to expect direct feedback and sometimes in public, as part of anti-selling; he says it's better because hiring a bad fit is more painful.

    Marketing School - Daily Marketing Tips · Watch on YouTube

  • Joseph Lee

    Co-Founder, CEO · Supademo

    Hire player-coaches

    Joseph Lee says the biggest thing he optimizes for when hiring is "player-coaches"—people who help others win but still get their hands dirty—because the scope of work changes by the quarter or even the month.

    INspired INsider Podcast · INspired INsider Podcast · Listen at 25:16

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