Why Company Cultures Go Wild—And How to Cultivate Something Beautiful

The Garden of Good Intentions

Please, join me in my garden. Sit next to me on this decaying bench that’s clearly been around longer than we have, adding to the charm that makes you feel like you’ve stepped into a space that’s seen some life. Take a sip of the white wine spritzer I made you, breathe in the warm breeze, and savor the smell of sage and ripe tomatoes. These 500 square feet have a lot to teach us about why work can feel like a soul-sucking experience and, more importantly, the role culture plays in that experience.

When Culture Feels Like a Crowded Flower Bed

Look at the flower bed at the front of the garden. The towering sunflowers at the center? Stunning, right? But they’ve crowded out the zinnias and snapdragons below them. Some of the seeds we planted never even bloomed. Each flower is bending and warping, trying to catch more sunlight. We wanted a vibrant, diverse garden, but we didn’t account for how much space those sunflowers would need to thrive.

We planted the seeds and let nature take its course, and the other flowers had to adapt to less-than-ideal conditions. The result? It’s still beautiful—but far from our original vision.

In this story, you might be the crowded, warped zinnia who entered your job hoping to grow and thrive, only to find the environment didn’t meet your expectations. To survive, you’ve had to bend and distort yourself. Or maybe you’re the seed that never bloomed—coming in excited but lacking the space, support, or opportunity to thrive. So you quit.

If you're one of the rare people I spoke with who love their job right now, you might identify with the sunflower—thriving on top but recognizing that others had to stay small or distorted to support your new heights.

Or maybe you’re the gardener—disappointed that your hard work didn’t produce the result you expected.

The point is: your company culture isn’t that different from this raised bed. It’s alive. It’s never static. And while you can’t perfectly control it, you can absolutely shape it.

Mapping Out the Garden—And Your Culture

Start with a Blueprint

Nate’s the gardener, not me. He keeps a notebook filled with visions for every garden he creates. How does he want it to look and feel? What vegetables does he need? Which ones does he want to experiment with? Where does he need success? Where can he tolerate failure?

Good leaders do the same. They have a clear picture of what success looks like. In business, those tomatoes are your core goals—like revenue or product goals. And those Chinese long beans twisting up the trellis? Those are your innovation projects, niche but brimming with growth potential if given the right conditions.

Once you've defined success, ask: What conditions will help these outcomes grow most naturally? What’s the organizational equivalent of seeds, soil, water, and sunlight?

Experiment, Adjust, and Adapt—Like the Best Gardeners Do

Nate’s obsessed with YouTube tutorials, often filmed on grainy camcorders from the '90s. He knows other gardeners have been down this road before, so he soaks up their knowledge before diving in.

He sketches a plan for where each seed should go, considers their compatibility, and tweaks as needed. When something doesn’t work, he adjusts.

Leaders need to do the same. And be specific. What norms, behaviors, and atmosphere will nurture your team's success? Metrics matter, yes—but qualitative insights are just as important. When an employee tells you they're burned out or uninspired, that’s the bent zinnia trying to tell you something. Your job as a leader is to adjust the conditions to match your desired outcomes.

Managing Weeds and Weathering the Storms of Leadership

Pull Weeds Before They Take Over

Weeds are relentless. Fast-growing. Soul-crushing. Ignore them, and they destroy everything you've built.

In leadership, weeds are communication breakdowns. The fastest way a company culture collapses is when trust erodes. This happens when the gap between expectations and reality widens.

Prepare for the Storms—Because They’re Coming

And then there are storms—the sudden shifts that threaten your entire crop. Most leaders are so overwhelmed by the storm itself that they just push through, leaving their teams depleted. Instead, you need to be the one watching the weather channel, researching how to protect your people, and proactively implementing support when things get rough.

Celebrate the Beauty—Imperfections and All

Your culture will never be perfect. It will always evolve, shift, and adapt. Celebrate what’s good. Make a bouquet for no reason. Photograph your vibrant harvest. Laugh when your carrot grows three heads. Leaders need to recognize that most people are doing their best based on their conditions. Celebrate their contributions, help them see their impact, and commit to doing better tomorrow.

Because just like a garden, a thriving company culture requires care, creativity, and a whole lot of love.

A Few Examples

I know our garden is pretty, but you want some examples, right? Here are two worlds I know well. It seems simple on paper, but companies often get lost in execution — trying to be too many things at once.