“We’re like a family!”
“You’ve just got to feel the energy here!”
“I only hire people I’d want to go for a drink with.”
Lovely sentiments of course. But none of them will stop your best people from quietly updating their CVs when the business starts to outgrow its structure and no one knows what’s expected anymore.
In fact, as one of my current podcast idols Codie Sanchez says, if a company starts saying that they are ‘like a family’, that should be your cue to run a mile! Why? Because families don’t set expectations over performance. And families don’t give challenging feedback (and no, I don’t count the passive aggressive comments at the end of a long Christmas lunch…) . Heck, most families don’t even like each other much!
So as your team expands, you’ll need more than straplines, birthday Prosecco and a buzzy Slack channel to hold things together. Because while perks are nice, they’re not culture. And when you’re scaling fast, relying on ‘good vibes’ alone is a fast track to confusion, inconsistency, and underperformance.
The culture you actually need is the one that helps people stay focused, feel included, and perform well without burning out or bailing.
So let’s bust the myth: good vibes alone don’t build strong teams.
What is culture then, really?
In its most simple form, a company’s culture can best be described as the way you do things as a team and how you behave towards each other. There is no point having ‘be bold’ emblazoned across the wall in flashing lights if every time someone takes a risk at work they are chastised by senior management for not seeking several layers of approval first.
Culture is how it feels to work at your company (when no one’s watching).
It’s how people behave when the pressure’s on.
It’s how feedback is given (or avoided).
It’s how decisions get made.
It’s whether people feel seen, safe, and like they matter.
And for businesses of 10, 20, 50+ people, culture either becomes your rocket fuel or your risk factor.
When you’re small, culture tends to reflect the founder’s personality. You’re hands-on. You know everyone. It’s easy to keep things aligned because you’re in the room – literally and figuratively.
But as you grow? That vibe starts to slip. Suddenly, new managers are doing things their own way. Confusion creeps in. People start asking questions like:
“Who decides that?”
“What’s going on over there?”
“Why did they get promoted and I didn’t?”
And if you haven’t defined the culture you want – you end up with a patchwork of practices, politics and (quite possibly) the odd bit of passive-aggression.
Culture needs systems – not slogans
This is the bit no one puts on the murals.
Culture gets embedded through clarity, not charisma. And it shows up in:
- What you reward – and what you don’t.
- Who gets hired, fired, and promoted.
- The behaviours you tolerate – even from high performers.
- The conversations you have (and don’t have) when things go wrong.
A couple of years ago, we worked with a client whose team looked super engaged on the surface. They had socials, shoutouts, and even a ‘Culture Committee’.
But under the hood? People weren’t clear on expectations. Managers were inconsistent. And the “values” on the wall? More aspirational than actual. People spent more time bitching and moaning that actually contributing and it was recognised that results were suffering.
It wasn’t what modern parlance would term ‘toxic’ by any stretch. But it wasn’t high-performing either.
We helped them do a reset: clearer roles, proper feedback training, and actual accountability frameworks that increased trust and delivery.
Six months later? Higher performance, faster onboarding, and a whole lot less drama.
So where would I start to boost my culture?
We use our MAGIC framework to help clients figure this out. It’s not fluffy – it’s practical.
We see the best cultures show up in five areas:
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Meaning – People know why their work matters (not just to you, but to them).
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Accountability – Expectations are clear, consistent, and fairly applied.
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Growth – Everyone can learn, develop and progress.
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Inclusion – People feel like they belong, not just fit in.
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Care – Wellbeing is supported in ways that are real, not tokenistic.
When these elements are baked into how your team operates – in how you hire, manage, communicate and lead – that’s when culture becomes your secret weapon.
TL;DR:
- Culture isn’t “good vibes” – it’s consistent habits.
- You can’t scale what you haven’t defined.
- Leadership behaviour is the culture – model what you want to see.
- If it’s not written down, it doesn’t exist.
So if things are starting to feel a bit creaky, or your “team magic” is beginning to fray at the edges, don’t panic. But don’t ignore it either.
Book a chat with us, and let’s take a look under the bonnet. A few smart tweaks now can save you a whole heap of headaches later.
Contact us on hello@thehrhub.co.uk or call on 0203 951 1208
Not a phone or email kind of person? Grab my book, The MAGIC of HR, for more practical tips to build a culture that actually works.
