How to amplify the golden nuggets of your culture

Pat's take on culture work hit home: “Find the gold nuggets that employees trust and feel every day - then amplify them."

Culture isn’t about forcing new values. It’s about identifying what already works and making it stronger.

The trap? Many orgs try to push values that employees don’t see in their daily work.

Example Pat shared: claiming “quality is #1” while having obvious safety issues. That kills trust fast.

Culture work is simple (but not easy):

• Find what actually resonates w/ employees
• Validate it’s real (not just talk)
• Make it work across regions/cultures
• Embed it in every touchpoint (hiring, onboarding, reviews)

Most importantly: Your culture must show up in how work actually gets done. Not just posters on the wall.

The 3 layers of a great EX: platform, middleware, & innovation

Stop treating your Employee Value Proposition (EVP) like a one-size-fits-all solution.

Pat shared a brilliant framework:

Think of your EVP like a tech stack:

1. Platform Layer (Global Constants)
   • Core values
   • Basic benefits
   • Conduct standards
   • Global systems (HCM, Finance)
2. Middleware Layer (Intentional Variations)
   • Sales comp vs non-commission roles
   • Regional allowances (India vs France)
   • Local cultural adaptations
3. Innovation Layer (Differentiators)
   • Unique benefits
   • Cultural distinctives
   • Employer brand elements

She says it’s not about being equal, it’s about being equitable.

Example: Remote work = flexibility BUT you might miss the office picnic. That’s an intentional trade-off, not an inequality.

Too many companies get caught in the “yes, and” trap, trying to give everyone everything. That’s unsustainable.

Be intentional about your stack. Be clear about your trade-offs.

You can’t fix culture until you "touch the entire elephant”

Most orgs rely on annual surveys for measuring culture.

Pat's approach? Way more sophisticated:

1. External signals
   • LinkedIn mentions (common adjectives)
   • Glassdoor reviews
   • Social sentiment
2. Internal data points
   • Employee journey touchpoints
   • Onboarding feedback
   • Engagement surveys
   • Focus groups

But here’s the real gold:

Pat shared how when she was at LinkedIn, they had “open, honest, constructive” as a cultural tenant.

When she dug deeper, she found that while ALL leaders did performance reviews with ratings, only ONE actually shared the ratings with employees.

Her response? She literally crossed out that cultural value in front of the leadership team.

Why? Because if you claim a value but don’t live it, you’re creating cultural debt.

The lesson: Culture isn’t what you say, it’s what you DO.

Advice for someone starting in HR today

"Ask a million questions."

One thing they'd steal from another company

“I'd go look at the top teams in sports and steal their team building strat."

P.S. We launched MPL Build (with Jessica Zwaan) last week — DIY resources for running your people team like a product team. Become a subscriber to get access to guides, templates, case studies, and exclusive AMAs.

P.P.S. Want hands-on help bringing product principles to life on your people team? Just reply to this message — let’s talk.

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