In this talk, Mike Michalowicz reflects on a company retreat where a spontaneous conversation about the organization’s “immutable laws” led to the creation of a new collective value called the “No Bro Show.” He explains that this value rejects stereotypical “bro” attitudes—such as flaunting wealth, aggressive hustle culture, and hyper‑masculine posturing—and instead promotes a more inclusive, respectful environment. Michalowicz realizes that corporate values are not static; they evolve as the organization becomes more diverse. He shifts his focus from trying to build a monolithic “culture” to fostering a genuine community, using his hometown of Butte as an example of a vibrant, multi‑ethnic town where shared love for the place unites people of varied backgrounds. By highlighting the richness of local cultural events (e.g., First Friday celebrations with Mexican, Indian, and Iranian influences), he illustrates how shared values and community spirit can be cultivated within a company, leading to broader inclusion and a richer collective identity.
Chapters
What I said in the book is we need to build an organization around it. Well, I want to rescind that because if I find everyone that has the same values of me, we start getting a silo effect. At our retreat, I can't remember which one it was in particular. It was one I think where we did the cup races where there's cups and you had to try to get through. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was like 2 years ago. Yeah. It was a beautiful location. We're there and Kelsey said, "Let's talk about the company's immutable laws." And I said, "Well, no shit allowed." And I think it was Jenna who said, "Can I say something?" She goes, "That's kind of bro-y." She goes, "I know where you're coming from and I agree." And it's consistent with me, but I'm not about the bro. And I was like, I'm not about the bro either. And he's like, oh my gosh. And it came to a new collective value we call the No Bro Show. It's on our wall here. Is that we're not those type of people. You're not gonna have the cheesy jet in the background and the Lamborghini. You're not gonna see me occasionally flex. You're not gonna see me wearing like, you know, you gotta be strong and powerful and pumping some steroids. You're not gonna hear me saying you gotta hustle and grind and compromise your family and just work like an animal. I don't believe any of that stuff. Yeah. It's very bro-y. We now have a new set of values that represents our collection. What's interesting is I always thought, well, that would diminish who I am. Well, you and I don't change. Our values stay constant, but this is an expression of our collective. It's actually expanded who we are. Right. And it triggers a more diverse notion and belief set. It makes us more inclusive. Your corporate values will change. That's what I was wrong about. I thought they were constant forever. They will change and expand, and the more diverse your organization is, there will be this collective thing. Instead of building culture, we need to build community. We live here in Butte. This isn't like, oh, it's got to be people that are 50 years old that went to Butte High School and you got to be white. We have all different religious beliefs here, different skin colors, different backgrounds, different languages as your native tongue, people of all different ages. And we all have this common value. We love Butte. We care for this town. That's community. And because of the diversity, there's this richness here. There was the First Friday they celebrate. I remember walking through here, I'm like, "Yeah!" I walked by, there was a Mexican restaurant and they were doing all these traditional dances there and the music was blaring. It was actually distorted so loud. And you see people, all different backgrounds getting into it. And then you walk down, there's an Indian and then I think like Iranian place and they're partying out. And the stir of the pot was so rich and nice. I know now we need to encourage in our company by shared values. I love it.
