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A company's true culture is revealed by those at the bottom, not the top

Name: A company's true culture is revealed by those at the bottom, not the top
Uploaded: 2020-11-08T21:36:57+00:00
Duration: 10 s
Channel: Bob London
Description: In this brief conversation, Bob London asks how to discover the genuine culture of a company being considered for acquisition, noting that companies…

8 Nov 2020 · 0 min

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In this brief conversation, Bob London asks how to discover the genuine culture of a company being considered for acquisition, noting that companies present their best face during discussions. The other speaker advises using external sources—such as speaking with the target’s clients, contacting former employees, and reviewing Glassdoor feedback—to build a realistic picture of the workplace environment. They also caution that founders or CEOs are the least reliable sources for cultural insight, as they tend to portray an idealized version of the culture.

How do you really find out the true culture of an acquisition target? Because they're all on their best behavior when they're talking to you.
It's not easy, right? But I think you can do, you know, you do the outside snooping when you talk to clients of theirs, you do the stuff when you talk to third-degree people who used to work there. What does the Glassdoor review say about what it's like to work there and all those types of things that kind of get a picture of where it is. But I tell people all the time, the worst person to ask about a culture is the founder or CEO.
Yeah.
Because they describe, they describe a culture that they want perceived. They don't necessarily describe the culture as it is. And Paradise, you know, the— if you want to know the culture of a company, you've got to talk to the people at the bottom of the pyramid that work there, not at the top.