How to build company culture (from the CEO of a $6M+/year company)

Athyna's engagement score is currently at 92. What does it take for a company to get there?

At Athyna, our company motto is "What would Ned Stark do?" This reminds us that whenever we're in a tricky situation where we might be tempted to cheat, lie, or take shortcuts, we should pause and reflect. For those who haven't watched Game of Thrones, we include the basic principle beneath our motto: do the right thing.

I have to say, we're probably not doing anything that would make you think, "Wow, that's revolutionary." Instead, we focus on consistently doing simple things well. Building a strong culture is simple in concept but not always easy in practice.

But when you keep doing the right things repeatedly, these actions become habits that naturally strengthen our culture. And breaking a habit is tough, right? Especially when everyone around you is committed to it.

What are impactful steps you can take right now to significantly boost your organization's culture?

Genuinely care about the person would be first. Don't make all your one-on-one meetings about work and performance; dedicate time to understand what makes them tick. Include some casual, relaxed moments in one of your monthly catch-ups.

You also want to invest in their career and let them know you support them. As their manager, you hold the keys to their hopes and dreams. While they're under your guidance, it's your job to help them live their best possible life. They might not reach all their goals during their time with you, but make sure you're helping—not hindering—their progress.

And be generous with your praise. Recognition doesn't need to be reserved for major achievements like launching a groundbreaking feature or hitting a big milestone. It could be acknowledging a creative approach they took to gain extra user insights or appreciating an associate product manager who stayed late to collaborate with you.

Work can be challenging, and there's nothing worse than feeling like your efforts are going unnoticed. So offer direct, face-to-face praise, and also make a point to highlight their contributions publicly—in meetings, team chats, or other platforms. This kind of acknowledgment can go a long way.

Bonus points: The more senior your position, the more thoughtfully you might need to plan your praise. As a CEO, I'm aware that my title carries considerable weight. To ensure everyone receives recognition from me over time, I've created a database listing each team member, tracking when and how often I've praised them.

This isn't about undermining meritocracy; it's about spreading appreciation. Sure, your top performers might deserve daily praise, but if you pay attention, you'll find that even the finance intern has done something noteworthy recently. Acknowledgment from the CEO could mean the world to them.

“Culture is a product you build for your employees.” Would you agree with that statement?

Here's the thing about culture: it's the most crucial internal product a company has, but I've yet to see a business that tests and iterates on it like they would a software product.

That said, there are some parallels with product development when it comes to nurturing culture. The key is consistently gathering feedback and acting on it. Here's how we keep our finger on the pulse:

• Post-onboarding surveys for new hires

• Quarterly engagement score checks

• Bi-annual manager effectiveness surveys

• Scheduled wellness check-ins

• Exit surveys for departing employees

The goal here is to use these data points to drive continuous improvement. For instance, if our onboarding surveys show that departmental documentation is lacking, that's a clear signal it's time to address that issue.

Our quarterly engagement surveys are the most impactful tool in our arsenal. We carefully analyze the results, drill down on the key insights, and create a plan to tackle areas where we're falling short. This process does share some similarities with product development—you need to allocate resources, set timelines, and keep stakeholders informed.

So all these amazing people that work for you, how did you hire them?

First off, I see my role as acting like a human megaphone, amplifying our vision wherever I can. I feel I've been doing well in that area so far, but there's always room to do more.

One of the most essential skills for a leader, founder, or CEO is to be an exceptional storyteller—you need to inspire people through your words. The second key skill is building a strong brand. To attract top talent, you need a robust employer brand. At Athyna, have a community that genuinely loves us, and internally, we treat our team members exceptionally well. This means we're flooded with inbound interest and referrals, and when we need to actively recruit, we have the right connections to reach out to.

One really cool thing we do at Athyna is ask all of our team who their top three all-time favourite colleagues are and we store them all in an internal database. This works incredibly well because when we are looking for a BDM for example we can often find someone in our internal database.

Overall, get really good at employer branding and storytelling as a leader and you will do better than most.

Athyna is fully remote, which definitely affects the culture. What are some unique perks of a remote-first setup that you just don’t get in an office?

My most popular LinkedIn post did a great job of capturing this. It went something like: remote work leads to a better life, a better life leads to a happier person, a happier person makes for a better employee, and a better employee contributes to a winning business. I really believe that. Studies consistently show that people are generally happier working remotely.

I'm not here to argue the point, though; as at this stage, I think it boils down to personal philosophy. If you believe your product will benefit from the unique advantages of in-person work, then I wish you the best of luck.

As for me, my philosophy is centred on creating the happiest, healthiest team. That happiness comes from improved health and wellness, better sleep, and more time with loved ones. That's what remote work gives you—something the traditional office environment often can't.

What do you consider your greatest strength as a leader?

I think my greatest strength as a leader is my ability to connect with people, inspire them through storytelling, and foster a strong company culture. There's immense potential at the intersection of brand and culture—it's a powerful place to be if you're aiming for success.

By developing a strong brand, you attract top-tier talent, and with a great culture, you ensure that when these high performers join, they're motivated to do their best work. When you have both elements working together, you can achieve almost anything.

Any advice to your younger self, or something you wish you knew sooner?

I realize I should have stayed committed to our 'hub' strategy. Our original plan was to establish teams in Australia, Argentina, and the Philippines, aiming to expand in these three regions. Things were on track initially, but after my co-founders left, hiring more people in Australia became unjustifiable. Similarly, when we shifted our market focus to the U.S., setting up a team there didn't seem feasible.

Over time, we gradually moved away from the Philippines. We've had many fantastic Filipino team members and still occasionally hire from there, but the ecosystem in Latin America is so much stronger that we decided to concentrate our efforts there.

The main thing I'd change is how we started hiring completely remotely—one person in this country, two in another—while the majority were based in Argentina. In hindsight, it would have been better to build our team around strategic hubs.

Focusing on specific locations simplifies aspects like compensation, benefits, and work norms because you're familiar with the area in depth. It also creates opportunities for more in-person events if you choose. Although I was initially skeptical about face-to-face interactions, if you have ten people in the same city who can meet twice a month and enjoy events like a Christmas party together, why wouldn't you want that?

That's why we've adjusted our strategy to re-emphasize building hubs wherever possible. We already have a thriving hub in Argentina, and our team in Brazil is growing. We're also nurturing a small hub in Romania and might develop one or two more.

Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?

One of the big things I hear constantly is people worrying about building culture remotely. Maybe I am in my own self-sustaining, echo-chamber, but I don’t think the two things are at all related. Culture is not something that magically happens at the water cooler, or by the ping-pong table.

Culture is how you treat people. How you as leaders treat your reports, is how they’ll treat their reports, and how they will do so again, in turn. If you look after your people, word will spread. And more great people will want to come work with. Look after them, and they will do the same.

And before you know it, your culture becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy that the entire team protects on a day by day basis.

Where can we find you?

The best places to catch me are through my newsletter, Open Source CEO, on LinkedIn and Twitter. You can also find more about our work at Athyna.

Thank you, Bill, for the great interview.

If you want to learn more about Athyna, especially how they can help your company, click here to receive more information.

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*Sponsored by Athyna. We have equity in the company.

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