Parliament | Beyond Words on Walls: How to Actually Build the Culture You've Been Dreaming About
The relationship between brand and culture is often not apparent to our founder clients.
What is clear: the gap between the culture they want and the culture they have.
You know what we mean. Those values painted beautifully on your office wall? They look great. But are they actually shaping how your team works, or are they just expensive wallpaper?
Here's the thing about culture: It's not just about declaring values - it's about living them. And that starts with something we call "on-brand benefits."
The Power of Walking the Talk
At Hoot, one of our most powerful culture-builders isn't our mission statement - it's our Life Support program. What's more "on-brand" than a benefit that literally helps our team become their best selves through work?
Here's how it works:
$250/month to buy back time (yeah, actual cash)
Use it for anything that makes life easier - cleaning, meal prep, even fashion subscriptions
Just trust and support for making life work better
The result? Our team doesn't just know our values - they feel them. Every time they get their house cleaned or grab a prepared meal, they're experiencing our commitment to their growth and wellbeing. They also know that we’re serious about them becoming their best selves through work, and that can only happen if they can BRING their best self to work.
But here's where it gets really interesting...
Operationalizing Values (Without the Corporate Speak)
Values aren't just nice words - they're decision-making tools. Here's how we make them real:
1. Define Behaviors, Not Just Words
Instead of just saying "collaboration," we specify behaviors that ladder up to this value and we rate ourselves against them twice per year:
"I ask for help"
"I share work and gratitude"
"I prioritize team work over autonomy"
2. Build Them Into Reviews
Rate these behaviors on a 1-5 scale
Have actual conversations about living values
Create clear paths for growth
3. Use Them in Hiring
Craft interview questions that probe for values alignment
Look for stories that demonstrate values in action
Make values part of the onboarding process
The Reality Check
Let's be honest - this isn't easy stuff. We've had our share of stumbles:
Benefits that sounded great but didn't actually serve our team
Values that were too vague to be actionable
Reviews that didn't dig deep enough
But here's what we've learned: The magic happens when your values shape actual decisions, from what benefits you offer to how you structure your workday.
Your Culture-Building Toolkit
Ready to move beyond wall art? Start here:
1. Audit Your Benefits
Do they actually reflect your values?
Are they serving your team's real needs?
Could they be more aligned with your culture?
2. Make Values Actionable
Define specific behaviors for each value
Create clear metrics for success
Build them into your daily operations
3. Get Real About Feedback
Ask your team what's working (and what isn't)
Be ready to adjust and evolve
Keep the conversation going
The Bottom Line
Culture isn't built through declarations - it's built through decisions. Every benefit, policy, and practice either reinforces or undermines the culture you're trying to create.
Design benefits that actually matter
Turn values into action
Build a culture that attracts and keeps amazing talent
Because at the end of the day, culture isn't what you say - it's what you do. Let's make it count.
Ready to build something real? Let's talk about how the Brand Being Method can help you create a culture that's more than just words on a wall.
Artwork by Nya McClain, article by Senior Art Director, Bri Thomas
Consistency Doesn't Mean Boring: Why brand consistency is about intention, not limitation
The Persistent Myth
"We need to be more creative, let's break away from the brand guidelines." "Brand consistency is holding us back." "Our guidelines are too restrictive for social media." "We need something fresh - let's ignore the system just this once."
These are the justifications used every time someone wants to prioritize short-term creative impulses over long-term brand building. But here's the thing: consistency isn't your enemy - it's your secret weapon.
The Reality Check
The most innovative brands in the world are also some of the most consistent. Think about:
Apple's product launches - always minimal, always powerful
Nike's advertising - decades of "Just Do It" finding fresh expressions
Coca-Cola - evolving within their brand world for over a century
Google - playful while maintaining clear system principles
These brands aren't consistent because they lack creativity. They're consistent because they understand that consistency creates recognition, and recognition builds trust.
The Freedom of Framework
Strong brand systems work like music – they're built on a fundamental structure that enables meaningful improvisation, not restricts it. Think of your brand guidelines as a musical scale: once you truly understand the rules, you can play with them in infinite ways while still creating something recognizable. The structure isn't limiting your creativity; it's giving it direction and purpose. When you have a clear framework, you don't waste energy wondering if something is "on brand" – instead, you can focus your creative energy on finding fresh, innovative ways to express your brand's core truth.
The best brand systems don't wall you in; they give you a foundation to build upon. They provide the tools and principles that enable teams to move quickly and confidently, ensuring that every expression of the brand adds to its equity rather than diluting it. It's about creating guardrails that focus innovation rather than barriers that prevent it.
What Actually Matters
Real brand consistency isn't about mindless repetition or rigid rule-following – it's about strategic intention and purposeful choice. It's understanding that every brand expression is either building or eroding brand equity, and making conscious decisions about how to move forward. True consistency comes from having a deep understanding of your brand's core principles and using that understanding to guide evolution, not prevent it.
This means looking beyond surface-level consistency like colors and logos to ensure you're creating coherent experiences that build meaningful recognition over time. It's about understanding that your brand isn't just a set of visual rules – it's a tool for creating lasting impressions and building trust with your audience. When you approach consistency from this perspective, it becomes less about what you can't do and more about how you can use your brand's established equity to create more powerful work.
The Bottom Line
Remember: The most powerful creative work doesn't come from ignoring your brand - it comes from understanding it deeply enough to push it forward with purpose.
