The Root of Culture is Cult: What You Know About Startups Is Wrong

How to Navigate Entrepreneurial Urban Legends That Threaten Your Relationships, Your Health, Your Finances, and Your Career

My book What You Know About Startups Is Wrong: How to Navigate Entrepreneurial Urban Legends That Threaten Your Relationships, Your Health, Your Finances, and Your Career is due out January 2018, there are some pieces that didn’t make it into the book. Here is an excerpt.

“It’s about the culture!” I hear this again and again. Culture is one of the most talked-about words among startups, but has anyone truly looked at the word? Specifically, at the root of the word?

The root of culture is cult. As nearly everyone knows, cults normally don’t end well. Usually the leader ends up getting shot in the back yard of a compound by the FBI, or something like that. Cults typically aren’t successful because they aren’t built to survive. When startup founders start rhapsodizing to me about their culture, my response is to suggest that they proceed with a little caution. A startup’s culture can unknowingly drive negative behavior and negative expectations.

One of the key characteristics of a cult is that you’re asked (or required) to set aside your personal interests and opinions for those of the group. You’re no longer allowed to have an independent thought or position. Cults demand its members make sacrifices to belong. In religious…