Building from scratch: The opportunity and responsibility of creating a company culture

It’s often said that people don’t like change. In my experience, most eventually come around—especially when they understand the "why" behind it. But there’s a small group that doesn’t. And they can do real damage. I once saw this during a post-merger integration. A few individuals quietly resisted the new direction. Not with loud objections—but with backchannel conversations, passive-aggressive behavior, and subtle undermining. The chaos they created showed up everywhere—from fractured team morale to slowed execution. And yet, leadership didn’t see it right away. That’s the challenge: the effects are visible long before the cause is clear. This is where direct reports become crucial. If you're leading through change, you need eyes and ears close to the ground. When someone is actively working against the shift, it's not just “resistance”—it's sabotage. And that requires a tough call. Correct the behavior. Or part ways. Because one or two toxic voices can derail an otherwise successful integration.

Common Mistakes Founders Make When Scaling Teams (And How to Avoid Them) Scaling a team is exciting, but it’s also full of challenges I see all too often in my work with growing companies. One of the biggest mistakes I notice is hiring too quickly. Bringing people on before roles and responsibilities are clearly defined often leads to confusion, misalignment, and turnover, lessons I’ve seen founders learn the hard way. Another frequent pitfall is neglecting culture. Culture isn’t just a mission statement it’s the lived values and behaviors that shape how your team works together. Without intentionally defining and reinforcing it, misalignment can creep in fast. Founders also often shy away from introducing structure and processes, fearing it will slow things down. In my experience, clear workflows, expectations, and reporting structures actually give teams the stability they need to grow. Similarly, underinvesting in leadership development can create ripple effects across the team. Finally, retention is too often an afterthought. Hiring is only half the battle, keeping top performers engaged requires consistent communication, opportunities for growth, and genuine recognition. Scaling a team successfully is about being intentional from day one. The teams that last are the ones built thoughtfully, not just quickly. What’s one lesson you’ve learned while scaling your own team? #LeadershipDevelopment #HR #Management #PeopleFirst #EmployeeEngagement #ScalingTeams #SRVHR

Everyone talks about building great teams. The unstoppable ones are built in moments most people avoid. The best ones weren't born, they were forged in fire. Not through: ❌ Fancy presentations ❌ Quarterly offsites ❌ Team building exercises But through real moments that tested their metal: - When projects derailed - When conflicts erupted - When brutal honesty was needed - When everyone else stepped back, they stepped up What makes these teams truly exceptional? 🔥 Unshakable Trust They take bold risks knowing their team has their back. Always. 🔥 Raw Honesty No sugar-coating. No politics. They tackle the elephant in the room. 🔥 Mission Obsessed The work matters more than individual egos or credit. 🔥 Deep Respect Every voice shapes decisions, not just the loudest ones. 🔥 Collective Victory Success belongs to the team, not star players. This is what unlocks what every leader desperately wants: ✅ Psychological safety that sparks innovation ✅ Alignment that survives chaos ✅ Momentum that builds on itself Here's the game-changing truth: - You don't need perfect people. - You don't need ideal conditions. - You need people who make others better. Because real culture isn't: A motivational poster A company manifesto A values document It's the small choices made every single day: - What you celebrate - What you confront - How you show up when it matters Here's a question that changed how I think about teams: Would you rather lead a team that delivers exceptional results, or one that people would walk through walls to stay on? Share your thoughts below 👇 (The best teams are both) Follow 💡Shirley Braun , Ph.D., PCC 🚀 for more insights on building high-performing teams and leadership in Tech and Biotech.

The teams that "walk through walls" for each other ARE the ones delivering exceptional results. When people genuinely care about each other's success, they push harder than any external motivation could drive them. The psychological safety creates space for the kind of risk-taking that leads to breakthrough innovations. You can't fake this chemistry, and you definitely can't PowerPoint your way to it. It's earned one difficult conversation at a time.

Every founder eventually makes a bad hire. The real mistake isn’t the hire; it’s not recognizing it fast enough. Here are the six red flags I’ve seen most often: 1) Energy drain, not energy add. After interactions, you feel heavier, not lighter. A-players give founders momentum; wrong hires siphon it. 2) Excuses > Ownership. When things go wrong, they default to blame, not accountability. 3) Low learning velocity. Startups move at absurd speed. If someone can’t ramp up quickly, the gap compounds. 4) Culture mismatch in micro-moments. Watch for how they handle feedback, pressure, or conflict—small cracks here widen fast. 5) You find yourself avoiding them. If you, as the founder, dread the 1:1, you’ve already answered your own question. 6) Team avoidance. Others stop looping them in, because collaboration feels harder than working around them. A founder’s leverage comes from people. Hiring the wrong one doesn’t just cost salary, it bleeds time, morale, and speed. The toughest (and most important) leadership act? Admitting the mistake quickly and correcting it before it compounds. 👉 Have you ever ignored one of these signs too long? What happened? ---- At Inside-Out Leadership we have been there. We have all hired wrong and lived to talk about it. Want to learn more about how to build a high functioning team? DM me or book a free call: https://lnkd.in/gS2ZUKuQ

Great leadership isn't about proving you're the smartest person in the room. Here's how to actually earn your team's respect: The leaders who command the most respect aren't the ones constantly showcasing their expertise or reminding everyone of their achievements. They're the ones who invest in developing others and helping team members discover capabilities they didn't know they had. How to build respect through empowering your team: 1️⃣ Ask questions that help them think critically instead of always providing answers ↳ Develop their problem-solving abilities rather than creating dependency. 2️⃣ Delegate meaningful work, not just tasks  ↳ Give people ownership of projects that stretch their capabilities and demonstrate trust in their judgment. 3️⃣ Celebrate their wins publicly and specifically  ↳ Highlight exactly what they did well so they understand their strengths and others can learn from their approach. 4️⃣ Create space for them to shine  ↳ Step back in meetings and let team members present their work, answer questions, and build visibility with leadership. 5️⃣ Connect their work to their career goals  ↳ Show how current projects develop skills they need for roles they want, making the work immediately relevant to their growth. 6️⃣ Share credit generously and take responsibility for failures  ↳ Make it clear that team success is their success and setbacks are opportunities for you to support better. When you help people discover their own superpowers, you create loyalty and performance that can't be bought or mandated. Who was a leader that helped you discover capabilities you didn't know you had? Image Credit to Justin Wright PS. If you're a leader looking to hire interns check out Runway: https://lnkd.in/dkYGaD_V ♻️ Repost if you found this insightful! 👊 And follow Ford Coleman for more content like this.

Respect isn’t earned by showing off. It’s earned by showing up—for others. The best leaders I’ve worked with didn’t need to be the loudest in the room. They were the ones who saw potential in others (saw potential in me) before they saw it in themselves. They taught people how to recognize their own strengths—and how to use them in ways that made the whole team stronger. That’s not just leadership. That’s legacy. If you’re in a position to guide, mentor, or uplift—don’t waste it proving your worth. Use it to help others discover theirs. Because when you empower people to shine, you don’t just earn respect. You build trust, loyalty, and something far more powerful than ego: impact. #Leadership #Empowerment #HospitalityHeart #Teamwork #Respect #EmotionalIntelligence #LeadWithPurpose

True leadership isn’t about being the hero — it’s about building them. The greatest impact a leader can have is helping others discover their strengths, grow their confidence, and realize what they’re capable of. I’ve learned that respect doesn’t come from titles or expertise; it comes from serving your team, investing in their development, and celebrating their wins more than your own. When a leader helps others shine, everyone rises together.

💡 This post nails what real leadership looks like. Respect isn’t earned by knowing all the answers — it’s earned by creating the space for others to find theirs. Empowerment is the highest form of trust. When we invest in helping people stretch, grow, and take ownership, we build teams that don’t just perform — they thrive. Couldn’t agree more with these six points — especially delegating meaningful work and connecting daily responsibilities to long-term growth. That’s how you turn good employees into future leaders. #Leadership #PeopleFirst #HRLeadership #TeamDevelopment #GrowthMindset