The Culture Code

The New York Times bestselling author of The Talent Code unlocks the secrets of highly successful groups and provides tomorrow’s leaders with the tools to build a cohesive, motivated culture. Where does great culture come from? How do you build and sustain it in your group, or strengthen a culture that needs fixing?

In The Culture Code, Daniel Coyle goes inside some of the world’s most successful organizations—including Pixar, the San Antonio Spurs, and the U.S. Navy’s SEAL Team Six—and reveals what makes them tick. He demystifies the culture-building process by identifying three key skills that generate cohesion and cooperation, and explains how diverse groups learn to function with a single mind. Drawing on examples that range from Internet retailer Zappos to the comedy troupe Upright Citizens Brigade to a daring gang of jewel thieves, Coyle offers specific strategies that trigger learning, spark collaboration, build trust, and drive positive change. Coyle unearths helpful stories of failure that illustrate what not to do, troubleshoots common pitfalls, and shares advice about reforming a toxic culture. Combining leading-edge science, on-the-ground insights from world-class leaders, and practical ideas for action, The Culture Code offers a roadmap for creating an environment where innovation flourishes, problems get solved, and expectations are exceeded.

Culture is not something you are—it’s something you do. The Culture Code puts the power in your hands. No matter the size of your group or your goal, this book can teach you the principles of cultural chemistry that transform individuals into teams that can accomplish amazing things together.


My Review

Mr. Coyle does a great job with this book. Everyone from normal people living their daily lives like me to management and Jeff Bezos can find something useful in this book. In fact, Mr. Bezos would probably outline many of the steps and advice in this book as to how he built Amazon to the successful empire that it is today and still growing.

As I was reading this book I could see practical ways that my employer could apply these principles better; especially in meetings and coming together for a common goal. Now is the best time as there are many projects starting. The book starts out with an experiment involving business students, kindergartners, lawyers, and CEOs. Every time the kindergartners won. This is because they did no worry about who was the leader but worked energetically together with short communications to achieve the goal. This is just one of the examples of a successful group. Not to say that no leader is better but working together with clear communication is key. Also, having really good employees that can be trained is worth a lot.

Mr. Coyle showcases a different business like Pixar, Goggle, Navy Seals, and San Antonio Spurs to name a few. He shows what has made them successful and then breaks it down into easy and understandably analysis. My favorite one was reading about the San Antonio Spurs and Mr. Popovich. Mr. Popovich knew all of his players on a personal level. He bonded with them not through yelling or texts but with human interaction. He knows this is the best way to build a strong team. After reading this book, I have a respect for Mr. Popovich. The Culture Code is a wonderful book that is not to be missed. 


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