THE SHITTY LEADERSHIP SERIES - FREE SHIT TO READ

The ‘Culture Fit’ Scam: When Companies Actually Mean "Do As We Say or Else"

"Culture fit" should mean hiring people who align with your company's values—not your ego trip.

But in most workplaces, here's what it means:

• ❌ We don't want anyone who challenges our decisions.

• ❌ We prefer agreement over ideas.

• ❌ If you don't laugh at the CEO's jokes, good luck getting promoted.

Belonging ≠ Fitting in.
If your company only hires clones, it's not a culture—it's a cult.

The Real Reason You're "Not a Fit"

Privately owned businesses love to preach about culture.
They claim they want innovators, leaders, disruptors.
Until someone actually disrupts.

Then it becomes:
"You're not collaborative.”
"You're too direct."
"You don't understand our culture."

Translation: You didn't do it the way I would have.
Leadership? Nah. That's just ego in a Patagonia vest.

What They Get Wrong

🔹 They don't know when to back off.
Built the company? Great. That doesn't mean you need to approve every process and policy as if it were still year one. Hire leaders—then let them lead.

🔹 They confuse control with leadership.
If your team needs permission for every move, you haven't built a culture of trust. You've built a daycare with direct deposit.

🔹 They think being "hands-on" means good leadership.
Micromanaging isn't mentoring. If you're in every meeting, on every decision, all you're doing is bottling up the process.

🔹 They critique style, not outcomes.
Your team gets results—but because they did it differently than you would have, you label it a problem. That's not quality control; it's control issues.

🔹 They dish out vague feedback like it's Halloween candy.
"Be more adaptable."
"Take more ownership."
"Be less intense."
Unless these come with actual direction, they're just CEO Mad Libs.

Here's How to Unshittify It

Step 1: Know the Job
Running a business and leading people are not the same skills. One builds systems. The other builds people.

Step 2: Get Out of the Weeds
If you're the final sign-off on everything, you're not leading. You're just clogging the pipes.

Step 3: Ask Yourself—Control or Results?
Smart leaders hire smart people and let them do the damn job. If you always override them, they'll stop trying. (And start looking.)

Step 4: Focus on Outcomes
Different ≠ wrong. If it works, stop fixing what isn't broken just because it's not your way.

Step 5: Build a Team, not a Fan Club
If everyone agrees with you, you're in an echo chamber, not a boardroom.

Final Thought

Still, losing good people? Still stuck in "why is nothing changing" mode?

Ask yourself:
🛑 Do you want thinkers or followers?
🛑 Innovation or obedience?
🛑 Results or control?

Because culture isn't what you say it is—it's what your people live.

And if your idea of fit means, do it my way, then congrats.
You're not building a company. You're just starring in your reality show called:
"Why Does Everyone Keep Quitting?"

And now you realize that you're part of the problem.