Your biggest ROI: Return on Culture (RoC)

Companies don’t grow by accident. 

Every successful venture includes sharp strategy and an innovative product. They have dynamic marketing efforts, airtight operations, and savvy sales professionals. 

But more than anything, they have culture. How the company lives and breathes. Their shared values. What they tolerate and what they don’t. 

Culture is not free snacks, generous time off programs, and other superficial perks to make the company look good to outsiders. It’s about how people act every day. 

How do employees show respect for each other? Or support a frustrated customer? Or decide when a feature is “good enough” or still has room to be great? 

It’s the invisible stuff that makes a big difference.

I’m proud of the culture we’ve built at Clari. As the company has grown — in 2022, we raised at a $2.6 billion valuation — culture has been the key ingredient to everything we’ve done. 

Without a strong culture, the entire org falls apart. Employee morale and retention drops. Trust vanishes. And all that’s left is the public facade. 

Today, I’m sharing some thoughts on culture, along with 3 ways revenue leaders can build a winning company culture. 

Let’s dive in. 

What is Return on Culture (RoC)?

The way I see it, we should measure investments in culture the same way we measure any other investment in the company — by looking at returns. 

Some initiatives require a sizable investment of time, energy, and money. And they deliver little impact. While other initiatives offer a daily boost for next-to-nothing. 

When we opened our first Clari office, there was a simple piece of string tied across the office. Some days, the string held quotes from important thinkers like Martin Luther King Jr. Other days, the string held pictures of Super Bowl teams. 

But every day the string represented something important to our people: It helped them feel more connected to each other, to the company mission, and to the clients we serve. 

That’s the power of culture.

Clari is a lean, mean, market-creating machine. We were obsessed with building culture from day one, and we’re obsessed with building it now. 

Here’s the playbook we use. 

Play #1: Give compensation and perks real value

If you want to attract top talent to your organization, you have to pay people what they’re worth. 

Your team delivers value with every line of code they write and every customer they support. Don’t leave them feeling underpaid and underappreciated at the end of the day. 

Our mantra: Keep it simple. 

At Clari we believe in competitive and transparent compensation. It also means recognizing the human side of work with flexible work arrangements and time off programs. 

With this foundation in place, every Clari team member shows up ready to roll up their sleeves and make a difference. 

Play #2: Show don’t tell

How do people feel when they walk in the door (or log on)?

We’ve all worked at companies where you can hear a pin drop at team-building events. No talking. No laughing. No relationships. This distance inevitably extends to every meeting and every decision-making process. It drains the life out of your culture.

Our mantra: Get creative. 

In the early days of Clari, this meant setting up a bowling contest using empty Alhambra bottles and soccer balls (yes, we broke some stuff!). Then we pivoted to virtual events via Zoom like an Empanada Baking Class for Hispanic Heritage Month and a Terrarium Building Class for Earth Day. 

Now that we’re a “work anywhere” company, we place a priority on getting teams together in person. Especially cross-functional teams. This helps deepen interpersonal relationships. 

These investments in team-building pay dividends every day. They bring the team together for memorable moments — and create a foundation for trust and collaboration.

Play #3: Retain your best employees through growth opportunities

Your people want to grow. 

Reports from Gallup, Pew Research, and LinkedIn all point to the same fact — growth opportunities matter. They consistently rank alongside compensation and management as a top factor for employee satisfaction. To build a leading culture, you need to build in growth. 

Our mantra: Aim big. 

At Clari, we enable every employee to take calculated risks and stretch their skillset. The goal is to look back at the end of the year and say, “Wow, I can’t believe I accomplished that.” 

To turn our goal into a reality, we recognize the time and commitment teams need to invest. Employees take ownership of growth, while managers support and create space for employees to determine their growth plans and work alongside every team member to unlock new skills and, at times, have tough conversations.

By investing in employee growth, we not only expand the capabilities within the company, but we also provide every Clari team member with accomplishments worth celebrating. 

You can’t outsmart a bad culture.

Want to turn your company into a growth engine?

Adopt a Return on Culture (RoC) mindset and take action. Make strategic investments in your people that will pay long-term dividends and expand your capabilities. 

Here’s the playbook we use at Clari: 

• Compensation and Perks. Keep it simple. Pay your people what they’re worth. 
• Team Building. Get creative. Bring the team together to promote trust and collaboration. 
• Growth Opportunities. Aim big. Set ambitious goals every team member can be proud of. 

Do this, and you’ll unlock the power of your people and discover the key to a world-class revenue career. 

Keep building,

Andy Byrne

CEO, Clari

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