Scaling Culture Without Losing Your Edge

Scaling a business is hard. Scaling a business without breaking the culture that made it successful in the first place? Even harder.

That’s why our Value Creation team recently brought together leaders from across the YFM portfolio for an interactive online roundtable, hosted in partnership with WorkBuzz, focused on one deceptively simple question: How do you scale culture without losing your edge? As more businesses scale rapidly, the risk of cultural drift grows.

Facilitated by Dawn Smedley, Organisational Listening Strategist at WorkBuzz, the session was refreshingly practical. An honest discussion, real examples, and a few hard truths from leaders who’ve lived it.

Leaders from across the portfolio – MCA, Cooper, Audiological, Summize, S4 Labour, Xapien, Stacatruc, Stormharvester, Spotless Water and Smart Numbers – came together for the conversation. Different sectors, different growth journeys – but strikingly similar challenges.

Building a strong culture requires more than just values posters, perks, or team socials – it demands a commitment to addressing misalignment and underperformance swiftly and thoughtfully. When our roundtable attendees ranked what truly matters, the ability to tackle these challenges head-on emerged as the top priority.

Several leaders shared stories where technically brilliant hires caused long-term damage because cultural misalignment was known and tolerated for too long. The consensus was blunt: proactive leadership means acting on issues early and supporting individuals to succeed within the culture, rather than hoping someone will “grow into the culture” – which rarely ends well.

The group spent a lot of time on hiring – because most culture problems start there.

A few key takeaways stood out:

• Get the basics right first. Job descriptions need to reflect reality, not aspiration. Pay and benefits need to be clear upfront. Over-selling roles only stores up problems.
• Values beat “culture fit”. Hiring purely for culture fit can lead to homogenous teams. Instead, leaders favoured hiring for value alignment and culture add people who share the same principles but bring different perspectives.
• Values are your early warning system. Clearly defined values and role expectations act as a detector for misalignment, both during hiring and once people are in the business.
• More voices = better decisions. Involving a broader group in hiring helps counter bias and leads to more balanced outcomes. For smaller businesses, using one trusted recruiter can help maintain consistency.

The message was clear: if you don’t know what “good” looks like in your business, you can’t hire for it.

When it comes to engagement and retention, the smallest actions often send the loudest signals. Practical ideas that resonated:

• Onboarding really matters. Equipment ready, meetings booked, support visible from day one. A six-month onboarding check-in (separate from probation) can surface issues early and improve the process for future hires.
• Create human connection fast. Simple onboarding rituals – like asking standardised personal questions (coffee or tea, morning or night owl, cats or dogs etc.) – help break the ice and build rapport, especially in remote/hybrid teams.
• Hybrid needs intentionality. Leaders warned against the risk of exclusion through office “small talk”. For remote teams, budget for in-person meet-ups where possible.
• Situational leadership beats micromanagement. Scaling requires leaders to adapt their style, not default to control. Equipping line managers with the right tools is critical.

Perhaps the most honest observation: true leadership means moving from “this would be nice for the staff” to “this is right for the company.”

Recognition isn’t a “nice to have” – it’s a cultural anchor. Whether it’s simple shout-outs, formal recognition programmes, or regular benefits audits, acknowledging effort and value-aligned behaviour reinforces what really matters.

Feedback is the other side of the same coin. Leaders stressed the importance of:

• Calling out behaviours that don’t align with values
• Creating regular, structured opportunities for feedback
• Being clear about development and career pathways

One stat landed hard: the number one reason leaders leave is lack of clarity on progression and development. Don’t assume that only the junior or mid-level employees need a clear career development plan.

The final part of the roundtable focused on employee insight – and the danger of the “ask and inaction” trap.

As businesses scale, informal conversations aren’t enough. Leaders discussed the shift towards structured listening using consistent engagement measures, such as the Say, Stay, Strive model, to understand pride, intent to stay, and motivation.

A few practical lessons stood out:

• Segment feedback by team or demographic to spot flight risks early
• Use powerful open questions to surface real insight (“What’s your proudest moment?” beats a five-point scale every time)
• Run stay interviews, not just exit interviews
• Close the loop visibly, “you said → we did” builds trust and keeps people engaged

Listening creates value only when employees can see their input driving change.

The strongest takeaway? Culture isn’t something you set and forget. It’s built – and rebuilt – every day through decisions, behaviours and leadership actions.

Frameworks and tools shared during the roundtable offer practical starting points, but the real work happens in the moments between the meetings.

A huge thank you to Dawn Smedley and the WorkBuzz team for expertly facilitating such an open, honest discussion – and to everyone across the portfolio who shared their experiences so candidly.

If you’re scaling and feeling the cultural strain, you’re not alone. For leaders facing the realities of growth, prioritising culture is not just beneficial – it’s essential for long-term success.