ULTIMATE CULTURE
Polish, aka, “the most connected man on the planet;” and
Verne Harnish, who serves as cofounder and principal of
Gazelles Growth Institute and as founder and chief executive
officer of Gazelles Inc. Sometimes I’m a little starstruck!
HOW HAS WHAT YOU’VE LEARNED OVER THE
LAST NUMBER OF YEARS TAUGHT YOU ABOUT
WHAT COMPANY CULTURE LOOKS LIKE IN ANY
ORGANIZATION?
STACEY: Walking into a business today, I can almost
immediately feel the culture within that building. I think
we’ve all worked for organizations with poor culture, but when
you move into an organization like Tulip Media, you quickly
learn what good culture is and the importance of its role. I
hope this book helps companies transform their culture not
only for the health of their employees but for the health of
their businesses.
WHAT HAVE ALL OF THE EXPERIENCES AND
LEARNING YOU’VE ACCUMULATED IN THE LAST
NUMBER OF YEARS TAUGHT YOU ABOUT THE
ROLE AND IMPORTANCE OF CULTURE IN ANY
ORGANIZATION?
ERIKA: This goes back to the thought leaders and national
contributors that we work with. Because of our constant
exposure to the best of the best, we are very in tune with
what people are doing and new ways of thinking. Andy always
reminds us that if we can take one thing from each book we
read that even remotely changes our day-to-day, then we’ve
gotten incredible value from that book. It’s wonderful to know
Andy is still encouraging and investing in my education long
after I’ve graduated university.
HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOU WALK INTO
A STORE IF THAT STORE HAS A PRIMARILY
POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE CULTURE? WHAT DO
YOU LOOK FOR?
CAN YOU SHARE SOME OF YOUR THOUGHTS AND
PHILOSOPHIES ABOUT BUSINESS SUCCESS IN
THE WORLD AT LARGE?
STACEY: In the past, I worked as owner and manager of a
brand champion restaurant, which means that ours was one
of the top 10 performing restaurants in the chain. This did not
come easily. It required hard work to maintain a happy staff
that came to work and did their best every day. They’d go home
feeling like they’d made a difference. In turn, that happy staff
made a difference in our business. We owe it to them.
That being said, I think culture starts at the top and finds its way
down through strong leadership.
ERIKA: At this moment, a lot of things are still unknown.
Everyone is adapting and moving forward, waiting to see how
this new normal plays out.
One thing we do know, because we’ve experienced it ourselves, is
that there is going to be a lot more remote work and a lot less
travel going forward. Everything is going to be done more
independently and in a digitally interactive fashion.
Not everyone finds it easy to work from home. Social people like
me who crave the office atmosphere are adjusting to work-athome
life. I would say the biggest factor for our own success has
been being open, flexible, and understanding.
WOW, THANKS SO MUCH FOR SPEAKING WITH
ME TODAY! I REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO
HEARING FROM YOU BOTH AGAIN VERY SOON!
ERIKA: If, say, two salespeople were talking and laughing
before I even walked in, right away I would think it was a
pretty cool atmosphere. If they looked over and acknowledged
me with a truly genuine and friendly demeanor, that would be
amazing. On the flipside, heads down, completely disengaged
with a forced greeting would make it immediately obvious
they weren’t very happy with their job, which would signify a
cultural disconnect.
Hiring people that you trust is important. Having someone
that truly does understand the job is a must, but letting their
personality shine through also enriches any position. It’s not
about resumé, it’s about DNA.
14 | TULIPMEDIAGROUP.COM