When considering the concept of culture, I like to think of it as a powerful magnet. For a teams, workplaces and companies, one designs a magnet by establishing strong values, aligning around a common purpose, and driving toward a compelling long term vision and goals. A strong brand powers the magnet too. When these things stir and resonate within someone, whether a customer or a prospective employee, it’s a powerful thing. It’s an x-factor. The best teams and strongest brands have it.

Magnets have a backside too — with an equally powerful repulsion effect. When values, purpose, goals and brand don’t connect, it can push people away — clients, staff, community and others. The push of a magnet can be equally as impactful as it’s pull.

How have companies and brands magnets pulled you in or perhaps pushed you away?

It’s important to design a magnet to cut through the noise of a homogenous industry or marketplace. It’s easy for folks to get lost or feel apathetic when everyone is positioned similarly, sending similar messaging (ie: high quality, strong relationships, fast, flexible) — especially in a competitive marketplace. Culture as a magnet is a wonderful opportunity to create contrast and broadcast a distinctly unique signal — one that cuts through the noise and pulls-in those with shared values and beliefs.

At my company, Marmoset, our magnet is best expressed in how we live our purpose and values. We’re the first in the industry to invest 10% of profits into community partners… more than half a million dollars and counting supporting social justice, access to education, houselessness, music and arts advocacy, equity and inclusion, civil rights and more. We’re the only Certified B Corp in our space and also the only one to issue an Annual Transparency Report. Since our inception, we’ve paid more than $25 million in royalties to hard working, blue collar artists — and Marmoset offers the best, most supportive employee benefits package available in our industry (see inside the Transparency Report).

Do you feel the push or pull of the magnet? Does something stir inside of you?

Marmoset’s purpose is to Be Community and the long term vision is to be THE positive disruptor in our space, in terms of equity and access to opportunities — similarly to how Patagonia disrupted their industry for the environment and social justice. If you chat up our team at Marmoset, or the artists we partner with, and many of the clients we serve — they’ll all tell you the same thing. They’re here because they feel the undeniable pull of the magnet.

What’s your magnet?

To my fellow leaders, culture keepers and thinkers out there: What’s your magnet? How is your magnet different from others? What are you inviting people to connect with and feel part of? How can you be methodical and strategic in designing your magnet? Are you comfortable with your magnet pushing some folks away?

We borrowed a tool from Netflix’s “culture deck” concept for prospective new hires to deep dive our magnet before taking the plunge with us. It’s a no frills, exhaustive 92-slide powerpoint deck that goes down all of the rabbit holes about who we are, what we believe and why. By the time you’re done reading, it’s nearly impossible to not have a strong reaction to it — that powerful push or pull of the magnet. It’s been a transformational tool in attracting and retaining All-Stars to our team -- where a third of our staff has more than seven years of tenure.

I was once criticized by a former employee for trying to be a cult leader… it’s the downside of anonymous Yelp style reviews for “public figures” and leaders. While I can assure you I’ve never set out to be a cult leader, I do admit to methodically working on our magnet over the the past thirteen years – and that has an impact. In this specific case, I suspect the backside repulsion of the magnet did its job.

Silver lining: there’s tens of thousands of teams, brands, organizations out there in the world, each with its own unique magnet to try on. The goal is to find one that stirs and resonates inside of you.

- RW

Note: this is essay #1 of a new series I’m writing to gather “50 Things I Didn’t Learn In Business School” (WIP title), which I aim to package and release in some form or fashion in 2024.