Glad They Chose Us.
Glad They Stayed.

Almost every good candidate I interview asks about culture. In fact, I would be more concerned if they didn't.

They may phrase the question differently: what's it really like to work here, how would you describe the leadership team, why do people stay, what happens when things go wrong. These are sensible questions. An interview is not simply about whether we want to employ someone. The candidate is interviewing us too. They are deciding whether to trust us with the next stage of their career.

What Candidates Are Really Asking

When someone asks about culture, they are not looking for a list of company values. They are trying to understand what it will feel like to work here once the interview process is over.

Culture is easy to describe during an interview. The real test begins once the person joins. That's why I try to give candidates an honest answer: what we're trying to build, what we expect from one another, and where we still need to improve. I also tell them one of the main reasons I chose to work for the company I do.

That remains my simplest test of a good business.

Customers Who Are Glad They Chose Us

A customer does not truly know whether they've made the right decision on the day they sign a contract. At that point, they've heard our presentations, met some of our people, and considered the promises we've made. Eventually, they decide to trust us.

The real judgement comes afterwards. It comes during implementation, when the presentations have finished and the work begins. It comes when priorities change, problems appear, or something doesn't go exactly as planned. It comes when the customer needs an honest answer, a quick response, or someone willing to take responsibility.

Winning a customer is important. Building a business the customer would willingly choose again is a much higher standard.

I want our customers to look back on their decision and believe the experience matched the promise: that we listened, responded and remained committed to their success long after the contract was signed. Being glad they chose us doesn't mean everything will always be perfect. No serious business can promise that. It means that when something isn't perfect, we respond in a way that reinforces their decision to trust us.

People Who Are Glad They Stayed

The same principle applies to the people who join the business. A candidate cannot fully understand a company during an interview. Like a customer, they're making an important decision based partly on the promises we make. The real experience starts once they join.

Most businesses want new employees to feel excited on their first day. That's the easy part. The more meaningful test is how they feel after their first year, and then after several years.

Staying should not be the result of inertia or a lack of alternatives. I want people to stay because they continue to believe in what we're building, because they're still growing, and because they know their contribution matters. I want them to be able to look back and believe that joining us was a good decision for their career and their life.

Customers Eventually Feel Your Culture

The customer experience and the colleague experience cannot be separated. Customers eventually feel what's happening inside a business. They notice when people care about their work, when teams communicate well, take ownership and feel confident enough to solve problems. They also notice poor communication, high staff turnover, or a culture where problems are simply passed from department to department.

A healthy culture is not only an employee benefit. It directly affects the quality and consistency of the customer experience. The relationship also works in the opposite direction: people are more likely to enjoy their work when they can see it creates something valuable for customers.

Culture Is Revealed Under Pressure

Culture is not defined by words on a wall, a page on a website, or an answer given during an interview. It is revealed through behaviour.

That's why I don't tell candidates we have everything right. No growing business does. There will be frustrations, competing priorities and difficult days. We will make mistakes. There will always be things we can improve. An honest conversation about culture has to acknowledge that. What matters is whether the organisation is willing to listen, learn and take responsibility for becoming better.

Every New Person Changes the Culture

Culture is not solely the responsibility of the senior leadership team. Leaders have a particular responsibility to set expectations, model behaviour and create the right environment. But every person in a business affects the experience of the people around them. That means every hiring decision matters: we're not simply recruiting someone to perform a role. We're inviting them to influence our customers, their colleagues and the future culture of the business.

When I interview someone, I'm thinking about what they'll add. The candidate should be making a similar assessment of us.

The Promise Begins at the Interview

An interview is the beginning of a promise. We make that promise to every person who chooses to join us, just as we make a promise to every customer who chooses to work with us. The promise is not that everything will be easy, or that we'll never get anything wrong. It is that we will care about the experience we create, remain honest about where we need to improve, and take responsibility for building a better business.

Culture cannot be proven during an interview. It has to be demonstrated through everything that happens afterwards.