The Culture Code

The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups

By: Daniel Coyle

Narrated by: Will Damron

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The author of The Talent Code unlocks the secrets of highly successful groups and provides tomorrow’s leaders with the tools to build a cohesive, motivated culture.

“A truly brilliant, mesmerizing read that demystifies the magic of great groups.”—Adam Grant, author of Think Again

A BLOOMBERG AND LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

Where does great culture come from? How do you build and sustain it in your group, or strengthen a culture that needs fixing?

In The Culture Code, Daniel Coyle goes inside some of the world’s most successful organizations—including the U.S. Navy’s SEAL Team Six, IDEO, and the San Antonio Spurs—and reveals what makes them tick. He demystifies the culture-building process by identifying three key skills that generate cohesion and cooperation, and explains how diverse groups learn to function with a single mind. Drawing on examples that range from Internet retailer Zappos to the comedy troupe Upright Citizens Brigade to a daring gang of jewel thieves, Coyle offers specific strategies that trigger learning, spark collaboration, build trust, and drive positive change. Coyle unearths helpful stories of failure that illustrate what not to do, troubleshoots common pitfalls, and shares advice about reforming a toxic culture. Combining leading-edge science, on-the-ground insights from world-class leaders, and practical ideas for action, The Culture Code offers a roadmap for creating an environment where innovation flourishes, problems get solved, and expectations are exceeded.

Culture is not something you are—it’s something you do. The Culture Code puts the power in your hands. No matter the size of your group or your goal, this book can teach you the principles of cultural chemistry that transform individuals into teams that can accomplish amazing things together.

Critic reviews

“I’ve been waiting years for someone to write this book—I’ve built it up in my mind into something extraordinary. But it is even better than I imagined. Daniel Coyle has produced a truly brilliant, mesmerizing read that demystifies the magic of great groups. It blows all other books on culture right out of the water. Read it immediately.”—Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Option B, Originals, and Give and Take

“If you want to understand how successful groups work—the signals they transmit, the language they speak, the cues that foster creativity—you won’t find a more essential guide than The Culture Code. This book is a marvel of insight and practicality.”—Charles Duhigg, New York Times bestselling author of The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better

“The Culture Code is a step-by-step guidebook to building teams that are not just more effective but happier. Whether you lead a team or are a team member, this book is a must-read.”—Laszlo Bock, CEO of Humu, former SVP of People Operations at Google, and author of Work Rules!

“Daniel Coyle has a gift for demystifying elite performance and breaking it down into empirical facts. This is indispensable for anyone looking to lead, build, or find an elite culture.”—Rich Diviney, retired Navy SEAL Officer and director of outreach for the Barry-Wehmiller Leadership Institute

“There are profound ideas on every single page, stories that will change the way you work, the way you lead, and the impact you have on the world. Highly recommended, an urgent read.”—Seth Godin, author of Linchpin

Amazing Book, Great Read, but... [SPOILER ALERT]

For team and culture building, this is a MUST HAVE text.

Absolutely loved this book for the stories upon stories used to teach the importance of culture. The content moves right along and is easy to digest. And there are so many amazing "ahaha", 'wow", and "that is interesting" moments. I truly loved every minute of this book, except for the fact that it ended too fast!

It ended, with nothing more than supporting evidence of how culture matters and is built by:
1- Belonging Cues
2- "Am I safe?" (Are we safe?)
3- "Do we have a future?"

So I get that belonging cues will help foster a positive culture, but what next? In a business sense, what are the real world implications of balancing security with a position and termination because the future with your current attitude looks bleak?

Get it. Learn about Belonging Cues. Pass it along. And understand to diagnosis and build company culture you will need a few other textbooks.

Very Interesting

I found this topic to be very interesting. It was insightful to get a glimpse into the interactions amongst individuals within a successful group.

One of the best books I’ve read.

Ive never written a review but feel compelled (and honored to) after this one. One of the best distillations on high-performing cultures I’ve read. Also a lot of these insights are counter-intuitive to qualities we often assume are innate within great teams.

great book!!!

i would definitely would recommend it to a friend, colleague or family member thx u

The mother of all culture books.

I like this book covers a lot of culture on the companies, was funny to read something I read on previous different books like ReWork, Zappos.

I highly recommend this book if you want to get insights to think and implement in your day to day.