Culture Is Not a Vibe. It’s What You Tolerate.

I’ve worked with a lot of teams that say their culture is “pretty good.” But then I start talking to the people doing the actual work, and I get a totally different story.

Here’s the thing. Culture isn’t the fun stuff. It’s not snacks in the break room, or a slick onboarding video, or some big-picture mission statement taped to the wall. It’s what you allow every single day. It’s whether or not you look the other way when someone gets steamrolled in a meeting. It’s whether poor performance gets corrected or covered up. It’s whether your quiet rockstar gets celebrated—or ignored.

For companies under 100 people, this hits even harder. You don’t have layers of leadership. You don’t have infinite resources. You’ve got lean teams, everyone wearing multiple hats, and a small group dynamic that can either be your biggest asset or your biggest liability.

In a place that size, everything gets noticed. If someone is toxic, everyone feels it. If someone is thriving, they elevate the whole team. That’s why investing in culture at this stage is so important. Not with gimmicks or shallow fixes, but by having the real conversations about what’s working and what’s not—and being willing to do something about it.

This is exactly the kind of work I love doing. If something in this hit home, let’s talk. You can book time directly at https://calendly.com/joel-jandmsolves/info-call or fill out the contact form on www.jandmsolves.com. Just click “home” and then “yes I want that.”