Preserving Your Culture During Growth

Feb 10, 2026 | Podcast

WAW ep 139 Preserving Your Culture During Growth

“If you grow too fast without intention your culture will change.”

One of the best problems an organization can have is growth driven by a strong culture. When people love where they work they stay. They talk. They attract others. Before long the business takes off. That is exactly where many leaders find themselves when they ask me how to grow without losing what made them successful in the first place.

Culture is fragile. It does not disappear overnight but it can slowly erode if it is not protected. When you add a large number of new people in a short period of time they have not yet absorbed how things really work. If the recipe is not clearly carried through the flavor changes.

The first place I always look is hiring. If you are not hiring people who are motivated to operate within your culture then nothing else will matter. This is where motivation based interviewing is critical. It helps you understand attitude career fit and whether someone is willing to learn how your organization operates.

The next step is understanding your culture clearly. Not the version written on a wall. The real one. The shared beliefs the shared values and the shared behaviors people see every day. That requires asking leaders managers frontline staff and even customers open questions about what it feels like to work with you.

Culture is also reinforced through daily actions, meetings, recognition, and decisions. These moments teach people what truly matters. Growth does not ruin culture. Lack of intention does. When leaders slow down long enough to hire well define clearly and reinforce consistently culture can scale right along with the business.