Why Your Company’s Real Culture Isn’t What You Think (And How to Fix It!)

Walk into any modern office and you’ll see the same trappings: mission statements etched in glass, ping-pong tables in the break room, and walls adorned with words like 'Integrity' and 'Teamwork.' But if you ask Ben Horowitz, author of 'What You Do Is Who You Are,' these are just the surface. The real culture—the one that determines whether your company thrives, stumbles, or self-destructs—isn’t what you say. It’s what you do, especially when no one is watching.

Culture, Horowitz argues, is the invisible operating system of your organization. It’s not the perks or posters, but the accumulation of everyday decisions: how quickly you return calls, how you handle mistakes, and whether you reward honesty or results at any cost. The most dangerous myth in business is that culture can be dictated from the top with a catchy phrase or a single all-hands meeting. In reality, culture is forged in the trenches—by the choices your people make when faced with ambiguity or adversity.

Horowitz’s journey through history is more than a history lesson; it’s a toolkit for leaders. Consider the Haitian Revolution, led by Toussaint Louverture, who transformed a culture of despair into one of discipline and trust with rules so shocking they forced everyone to ask 'Why?' (like forbidding married officers from taking concubines). Or the samurai, who embedded virtue into daily rituals, making honor and loyalty not just ideals, but habits. Or Genghis Khan, who built the world’s greatest meritocracy by promoting outsiders and enforcing a clear code of laws. Each story reveals a universal lesson: culture is action, not aspiration.

In today’s fast-moving world, companies that fail to see this drift into chaos. Vague values like 'do the right thing' leave room for a thousand interpretations, breeding confusion and, eventually, crisis. The antidote? Make your ethics explicit. Tell stories that make your standards real. And above all, live them—because people do what you do, not what you say.

The hardest truth for any leader: you are the culture. Every email, every decision, every moment of vulnerability or hypocrisy is magnified by those who follow you. If you cut corners, so will they. If you own your mistakes, so will they. This is why culture is never 'set and forget.' It’s a moving target, always evolving as your team grows and the world changes. The best leaders revisit their rituals, update their playbooks, and welcome feedback. They blend the old with the new, keeping the spirit alive while adapting the details.

So, if you want to fix your culture, start by looking at what you do—every single day. Set rules that shock people into paying attention. Make your ethics real, not just written. And walk the talk, especially when it’s hard. Because in the end, what you do is who you are—and your legacy depends on it.