How to Evaluate Culture at a Startup
“Every company has a culture, even if it’s not clearly defined.”
I’ve been interviewing companies and candidates in the startup world for over a decade. I’ve asked some version of, “What are the three things most important to you in a new opportunity?” hundreds of thousands of times.
Do you know what‘s ALWAYS on the list without fail? The people and the culture.
And it makes perfect sense. Most people spend the majority of their waking hours connected to work. This is especially true in startups, and the earlier the stage, the longer the hours. So, of course folks want to spend that time in a positive environment, with like-minded people, doing work that gives them energy. That’s why it’s so important to interview companies for their culture when you’re on the hunt for a new role.
Over the years, I’ve noticed there are five pillars that are consistent among startups with great cultures and that are also the most widely sought-after by candidates. These pillars are foundational to many other values, behaviors, traits etc. that can define a great work experience, too.
I’m going to share more about what they are, and the questions I ask founders and hiring managers to evaluate for them.
Positive Culture Pillars
These culture pillars can show up in different ways and they overlap a bit, but here are some examples of signals you can look for.
1️⃣ Trust - You can rely on each other. Everyone does what they say they’re going to do, and help is always there if needed.
2️⃣ Transparency - Open, honest communication. You have the business context you need to perform. Ex: Regular all-hands meetings reviewing wins, misses, and OKRs.
3️⃣ Autonomy - No micromanagement. You have the freedom to deliver necessary results without anyone dictating when and how you do it. Ex: You have a 5pm deadline for a report and you can either knock it out at 6am in a coffee shop or work in short bursts between meetings - whatever helps you do your best work.
4️⃣ Ownership - Bottom up instead of top down leadership. You are responsible for driving successful outcomes. Ex: If you see a broken process, just go fix it! You don’t need permission.
5️⃣ Humility - No egos. People take their work seriously but not themselves. Ex: You’re encouraged to openly give and receive feedback because nobody is perfect and feedback makes the team better.
How Do I Find Info About Culture?
Hopefully, you don’t even have to ask about it! It's a major green flag if the company proudly shares information about culture and values somewhere externally (company page, job description, blog, etc.). It signals a healthy level of self-awareness, transparency, and trust right out of the gate - that’s 3 out of 5!
Don’t panic if you don’t see them, though, for a couple reasons. One, this level of transparency is still evolving in the Talent space. High transparency is quickly gaining traction to become the default standard (yay!) thanks to some great Talent thought leaders and practitioners, but there’s still plenty of work to be done. Two, culture can be hard to articulate. People often struggle to express their own personal values. Imagine defining them for a company!
So, if you don’t see info about culture posted online or if they read a little unclear, maybe don’t pass on the opportunity right away.* Instead, be skeptical and make sure to ask pointed questions to uncover what the culture is. Every company has a culture, even if it’s not clearly defined (or what they say it is - more on that later).
*Caveat: If you see clear red flags for toxic culture such as bullying, dishonesty, othering or labeling, etc. or values that are in direct contrast to your own - RUN. Don’t walk.
Steal My Questions
Here are some of the questions I ask founders and leaders to get signals if these pillars underpin the company culture.
Trust
How do you build trust with your team?
How do you know your teammates are trustworthy?
Has that trust ever been broken? What happened and what was the ultimate outcome?
Transparency
How often do you discuss the state of the business as a whole company?
What are the topics covered in all-hands? Is there anything you leave out?
What was some bad news you had to share with the team? How did it go?
The money / biz health Q&A will tell you a lot about how transparent the company is. What to Ask When Evaluating an Early-stage Startup
Autonomy
How does your team know what to work on day to day?
How do you plan work for the quarter? Year?
How would your team describe your management style?
Ownership
How would you describe the company work norms?
What are some work habits/behaviors that are common among people who are thriving here?
What work styles wouldn’t work well here?
What’s the best practice if someone notices a problem or opportunity outside their scope?
How are people held accountable for delivering great work?
Humility
Tell me about a time you received feedback you disagreed with. How did you handle it?
How comfortable are you giving feedback to your peers?
Tell me about a time you messed up at work. How did you handle it?
Tell me about something you recently learned; could be anything, personal or professional
Interviewer & interviewee should ask the same questions! (What To Ask When Interviewing Early-stage Employees). You’re looking for empathy, self-awareness, lack of ego.
I Think I Like What I Heard, But How Do I Know It’s True?
In every response to these questions, you want the same level of specificity and detail that is expected of you during the interview. You’ll know if the “culture” is merely espoused career page fodder if they can’t give you details or they dodge the question.
If you have any doubts, these are more questions you can ask to make sure the culture is alive and well, and not just lip service.
How do your values translate into everyday behavior and decision-making?
How did you determine these to be the values you want to define the company culture?
How often do you reference your values and celebrate them as a company?
Have they ever changed? If not, do you expect they will?
Who on the team is a great ambassador of your company culture and why?
Find The Culture for You
Every individual and company is unique and has different values. I always encourage folks who are interviewing to take a meaningful amount of time to reflect on the values, behaviors, and traits they seek in teammates, and how they personally show up best at work. Once you distill what’s truly important to you in a company culture, you can start to search and interview for it.
And if you’re struggling to nail down the exact culture you’re seeking, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to start with these five pillars.
This post is brought to you by ElemenTal.
ElemenTal brings together proven Talent professionals and startup leaders from every corner of the hiring craft to help companies achieve their growth goals.
