Values-to-Behavior Culture System
Turn stated values into observable hiring, promotion, and exit decisions
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 99%
Snap's stated values are kind, smart, and creative, but Spiegel says the important mechanism is how values shape company systems. As Snap expanded from dozens to thousands of people, it imported habits from many employers and was slow to clarify what its own values meant in practice. The corrective was to define associated behaviors and apply them to hiring, performance evaluation, promotion, feedback, and whether someone remained at the company. Spiegel also distinguishes kindness from niceness: kindness can require candidly naming a problem and helping a person improve, whereas niceness may avoid the conversation. The framework treats culture as repeated behavior reinforced by organizational consequences. A culture statement without consistent decisions does not establish a norm.
Origin
Spiegel says Snap developed this system after rapid hiring diluted its original kind, smart, and creative culture.
Core principles
- 01Culture is the collection of behaviors an organization accepts
- 02Values become credible through consequences rather than a document
- 03Kindness includes direct feedback intended to help someone improve
How to run it
- 1
Name the values
Choose a short set of qualities that describes how the organization expects people to work together.
Pro tip Use language leaders are willing to defend in difficult cases.
Watch out Generic values create no decision rule.
- 2
Define observable behavior
Translate each value into specific actions people can recognize in everyday work.
Pro tip Include what the value is not, such as kindness versus conflict avoidance.
- 3
Embed the standard
Use the behaviors in hiring, feedback, performance reviews, and promotion decisions.
Watch out A culture guide that never changes a people decision is not an operating system.
- 4
Hold the hard line
Apply the standard when a high performer violates it and give a clear opportunity to change.
Pro tip Explain that another culture may be a better fit without pretending the mismatch is acceptable.
Watch out Excusing a talented person's harmful behavior teaches everyone which value is real.
- 5
Review culture through behavior
Look for recurring accepted behaviors and adjust systems where they conflict with the declared values.
In the wild
Spiegel says it may feel nice to reassure a struggling employee without confronting the issue. The kinder response is to explain what is not working and offer direct guidance that gives the person a chance to succeed.
→ The value becomes an actionable feedback standard rather than a demand to avoid discomfort.
Common mistakes
Writing a culture bible
Documentation alone does little unless the values change hiring, evaluation, promotion, and exit decisions.
Protecting the brilliant jerk
Making exceptions for results teaches the organization that stated behavioral standards are optional.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for founders preparing to scale or leaders repairing a culture whose daily behavior has drifted.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal when leaders will not apply the same standards to high performers and senior staff.
From the transcript
“It's actually just how people behave.”
“It's less about the culture bible and more about how you apply whatever your values are to your hiring processes, to your promotion processes.”
From the episode
Snapchat CEO: Exact Formula Used To Build A $130 Billion Company! I Said No To $3 Billion From Mark Zuckerberg! It’s Time To Quit Your Job When You Feel This!