Kevin Goldsmith revisits his influential 2013 keynote on engineering culture, expanding the conversation beyond just engineering teams to address anyone navigating workplace dynamics. This episode breaks down the real mechanics of how organizational values create culture, and how culture shapes everything from hiring decisions to performance reviews.
What you'll learn:
- The difference between stated company values and actual values (and a simple test to tell them apart)
- Why culture "eats strategy for breakfast" and how it can accelerate or sabotage company success
- How to build systems that reinforce positive culture through career ladders, hiring, and onboarding
- When and why firing for culture fit is necessary
- How to evaluate company culture during job interviews (especially what happens when companies face pressure)
- Why team culture vs. company culture tensions arise and how to navigate them
- What to do when company culture shifts rapidly due to acquisitions or leadership changes
Drawing from his experiences at Microsoft, Adobe, and Spotify, Kevin shares both successes and failures in culture building, including why he stayed at some companies for years and left others. He offers practical frameworks for managers building strong team cultures and individuals seeking workplaces aligned with their values.
Whether you're a team lead trying to strengthen your engineering culture, an individual contributor evaluating your current role, or someone interviewing for new positions, this episode provides actionable insights for understanding and navigating the often-invisible forces that shape our daily work experience.
- Taking a Thoughtful Approach to the Job Search Process (https://itdependspod.com/episodes/taking-a-thoughtful-approach-to-the-job-search-process/)
- Building a Strong Engineering Culture Keynote https://www.kevingoldsmith.com/talks/building-a-strong-engineering-culture.html
- LeadDev New York (Use code KEVIN25 for 25% off registration)
- Listener Survey: https://forms.gle/JVeKHsHJKhEM3dvK6
- The book: It Depends: Writing on Technology 2012-2022
- Your host: Kevin Goldsmith
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.