turning culture into your business’s greatest asset: going 'under the hood' with stan slap

“What’s under the hood of your organisation’s culture? Is it supporting the acceleration of your business — or quietly holding you back?”

According to research, 35% of workers wouldn’t accept a job offer if the organisational culture didn’t match their values. Another study suggests that 71% of employees would search for new job opportunities if their workplace culture degenerated. This makes it clear that organisational culture is the backbone of any company. 

Abundium hosted a masterclass with the New York Times bestselling author of Under the Hood, and corporate culture expert Stan Slap. With decades of experience working with organisations like Tesla, Amazon, and Microsoft, Stan challenged us to rethink culture – not as a set of shared values but as an independent organism. 

Why does culture matter now more than ever? What actionable steps can leaders of multinational companies take to use culture as a business asset? If you weren’t in the room, here’s a glimpse of what you missed. 

the power of culture 

What separates the highest-performing companies from the rest? Is it better strategies? Innovative products? Talent? They might, but over time, any success will fade unless an organisation is built on something fundamental. That ‘something’ is culture.  

Think of culture as an autonomous force operating within your organisation, with one primary goal: protecting itself. If your culture wants something to happen, it will. If it doesn’t, nothing will move forward. To unlock its full potential, leaders must stop controlling culture and start understanding it. 

As Stan puts it: “You can’t sell it outside if you can’t sell it inside.” It’s not enough to understand your employees — you need to understand your employee culture. That distinction is often the missing piece in unlocking performance, trust, and true accountability at scale. 

Research supports this as well. A McKinsey study found that companies with top-quartile cultures deliver far higher shareholder returns than those without. 

In our masterclass, Stan made it clear that culture isn’t a ‘nice-to-have’ – it’s a measurable business asset. He urged leaders to think of culture as a source of resilience, adaptability, and innovation, particularly in uncertain times. 

strategies to drive cultural accountability

It’s important to understand that accountability starts and ends with clearly defined results. During the masterclass, Stan shared actionable steps to align culture with business outcomes. Here’s how you can do it. 

1. Lead by example.
   Your actions should demonstrate accountability before you expect it from others. As a leader, you’re the pacesetter of performance and culture for your team. 
2. Measure culture’s impact.
   This means moving beyond engagement scores and employee satisfaction surveys, and instead focusing on factors such as adaptability and decision-making speed. 
3. Shift from values to obsessions.
   Values are easy to ignore. Obsessions, on the other hand, demand attention. Shift from ‘We value collaboration’ to ‘We’re obsessed with collaborating in everything we do.’ This shift builds trust and creates a culture aligned with its principles. 
4. Start small to build trust.
   Accountability can’t be demanded; it must be earned. So, rather than asking for blind trust, take small, deliberate actions that prove accountability is safe and rewarded. 

addressing cultural resistance  

‘We need to hold people more accountable.’ How often has this slipped through your lips? If your business is not where you want it to be, it can feel frustrating. However, when you use phrases like this, what your employees actually hear is ‘We are failing.’  

As Stan explains, the real question isn’t ‘How do we build accountability?’ but ‘Why isn’t accountability already happening?’ 

 Understanding the barriers that make your culture hesitate to commit can be a game-changer. 

feeling left out? here’s your chance 

During the Abundium masterclass, Stan emphasised – maximising cultural commitment isn’t just about fixing today’s problems. It’s about securing your company’s future. If you want to be a next-level leader, you’ll have to shift your mindset on what culture really means. 

This blog just scratches the surface of Stan Slap’s insights. Want to go deeper?
Join Abundium for full access to this masterclass — plus a library of exclusive, on-demand content from some of the world’s most influential thought leaders, available only to our members.

about abundium

Abundium provides a carefully curated solutions to ‘make growth easier’ for the local leaders of foreign owned companies in Australia, ranging from educational events with local and global thought leaders, executive networking experiences, plus research and advisory services. Abundium also represents the unique needs and contribution of the global business community with operations in Australia to regulatory and policy decision makers, as well as the media and public. Connect with us.