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Culture Rules
Create the company culture of your dreams—and make it last.
In every organization, people either love their work or loathe it; they contribute or coast. Your culture can be soul enriching or soul crushing. Your culture gives life or takes it. Your employees care deeply or couldn’t care less. Your organization’s culture can become the most valuable intangible asset you steward. You can build a high performance culture—a place where people and the organization win.
But cultures like this don’t just happen overnight—leaders are responsible for fostering them. So, what really contributes to a thriving culture? What can a leader do to make a difference? Mark Miller and his team conducted a global study with more than 6,000 participants from ten countries to find the answers to these questions and more.
In Culture Rules, leaders will learn the three simple rules that determine the health, vitality, and sustainability of culture, enabling them to build organizations that uncover untapped potential and transform it into performance.
Play the game well and you’ll be astonished by what your organization can become. Culture rules!
In every organization, people either love their work or loathe it; they contribute or coast. Your culture can be soul enriching or soul crushing. Your culture gives life or takes it. Your employees care deeply or couldn’t care less. Your organization’s culture can become the most valuable intangible asset you steward. You can build a high performance culture—a place where people and the organization win.
But cultures like this don’t just happen overnight—leaders are responsible for fostering them. So, what really contributes to a thriving culture? What can a leader do to make a difference? Mark Miller and his team conducted a global study with more than 6,000 participants from ten countries to find the answers to these questions and more.
In Culture Rules, leaders will learn the three simple rules that determine the health, vitality, and sustainability of culture, enabling them to build organizations that uncover untapped potential and transform it into performance.
Play the game well and you’ll be astonished by what your organization can become. Culture rules!
264 pages, Hardcover
Published March 7, 2023
39 people are currently reading
166 people want to read
About the author
Mark Miller
25 books121 followersMy career at Chick-fil-A began over forty years ago as an hourly team member in one of the local restaurants. Shortly thereafter, I became the sixteenth corporate employee — my first job: working in the warehouse. Since that day, I have worked all across the business from starting our Corporate Communications group and our Quality & Customer Satisfaction Team to leading in Restaurant Operations, Training & Development, Leadership Development and more!
For the last twenty years, I have focused much of my time on serving leaders, helping them grow themselves, their teams, and their organizations. In addition to my role at Chick-fil-A, I’ve also had the privilege to teach and lead in not-for-profit organizations domestically and globally. Although the context is different in every organization, the problems have common roots and so do the solutions.
Along the way, I have been fortunate to author (and co-author) a few books – eight and counting. Today, more than a million books are in print in 25+ languages. My approach to writing has always been to find what is true in principle and figure out how to make it applicable to the real world.
For the last twenty years, I have focused much of my time on serving leaders, helping them grow themselves, their teams, and their organizations. In addition to my role at Chick-fil-A, I’ve also had the privilege to teach and lead in not-for-profit organizations domestically and globally. Although the context is different in every organization, the problems have common roots and so do the solutions.
Along the way, I have been fortunate to author (and co-author) a few books – eight and counting. Today, more than a million books are in print in 25+ languages. My approach to writing has always been to find what is true in principle and figure out how to make it applicable to the real world.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
December 1, 2023
Mark Miller takes the topic of organizational culture - so important for workplaces today to address! He brings to light some of the culture-harming risks leaders face and outlines three rules for a high performing culture. Having been in organizations that had unhealthy leaders and environments, I think anyone in a position of influence needs to explore how they can contribute to or lead others into a healthy workplace culture.
March 9, 2023
I loved this book! It had so many practical insights into the culture you create around you. I found the chapters on storytelling and finding new talent to be most helpful for me personally. It doesn’t matter the organization, this book can be a huge benefit in setting up a cultural standard within the organization. Read it!
February 5, 2023
In his latest book, Mark Miller longtime leader at Chick-fil-A, has us play the game of building a thriving High Performance Culture, with leaders as the designers.
To do this, his research team talked to or surveyed more than six thousand people from ten countries around the world, representing senior leaders, mid-level leaders, and frontline workers. In “Culture Rules”, he tells their stories and we learn from both their successes and shortcomings.
A key finding in the book is that leaders animate culture. Only leaders can create and sustain a vibrant High Performance Culture. To qualify as a High Performance Culture, three conditions must exist:
• Alignment
• Performance
• Improvement
The author defines culture as the cumulative effect of what people see, hear, experience and believe.
The three rules towards building a High Performance Culture are:
• Aspire: Share your hopes and dreams for the culture.
• Amplify: Ensure the cultural Aspiration is reinforced continuously.
• Adapt: Always work to enhance the culture.
The book looks at each of these rules in detail, including helpful stories from organizations such as Netflix, PepsiCo, Microsoft, Salesforce, and many more.
Among the topics included in the book are an organizations’ purpose, mission and values, intentional listening, story, fit for role and fit for culture, workplace strategy, strategic communication, measurement, pulse surveys, and candor.
Each chapter ends with a brief “Your Move…” section, designed for the reader to take action. A free digital copy of the “Culture Rules Field Guide” is available by using a QR code included in the book. The 100 plus page guide contains tactics, additional case studies, helpful questions, and more.
The author tells us that High Performance Cultures are not built overnight—they require a never-ending pursuit. The greatest obstacle to creating a High Performance Culture is a lack of focused leadership attention.
“Culture Rules” would be an excellent book for leaders to read and discuss together.
Below are some of the most helpful quotes from the book:
• The wise leader will always leverage insights from the past while creating a better tomorrow.
• Organizations do not drift toward greatness; they must be led there.
• Alignment is about harnessing the individual brilliance, passion, and talents of everyone and channeling them toward a common cause.
• Healthy cultures enable healthy growth.
• A clearly articulated purpose will leave no doubt in the hearts and minds of your entire organization as to why it exists.
• The essence of leadership is creating a better tomorrow, envisioning a preferred future, and rallying people to make it a reality.
• Values are an ongoing and daily pursuit.
• People always watch the leader.
• People need to see leadership much more than they need to study it.
• In its most simple terms, culture is about aligning people around your Aspiration.
• Strategic communication is one of the most powerful weapons in your arsenal for building a High Performance Culture.
• For our organizations to thrive, we must be open to ideas and practices that are different from those of the past.
• If you are allowing politeness to overtake candor as the norm, your leadership impact will be compromised, and it will be exceedingly difficult for your organization to thrive.
To do this, his research team talked to or surveyed more than six thousand people from ten countries around the world, representing senior leaders, mid-level leaders, and frontline workers. In “Culture Rules”, he tells their stories and we learn from both their successes and shortcomings.
A key finding in the book is that leaders animate culture. Only leaders can create and sustain a vibrant High Performance Culture. To qualify as a High Performance Culture, three conditions must exist:
• Alignment
• Performance
• Improvement
The author defines culture as the cumulative effect of what people see, hear, experience and believe.
The three rules towards building a High Performance Culture are:
• Aspire: Share your hopes and dreams for the culture.
• Amplify: Ensure the cultural Aspiration is reinforced continuously.
• Adapt: Always work to enhance the culture.
The book looks at each of these rules in detail, including helpful stories from organizations such as Netflix, PepsiCo, Microsoft, Salesforce, and many more.
Among the topics included in the book are an organizations’ purpose, mission and values, intentional listening, story, fit for role and fit for culture, workplace strategy, strategic communication, measurement, pulse surveys, and candor.
Each chapter ends with a brief “Your Move…” section, designed for the reader to take action. A free digital copy of the “Culture Rules Field Guide” is available by using a QR code included in the book. The 100 plus page guide contains tactics, additional case studies, helpful questions, and more.
The author tells us that High Performance Cultures are not built overnight—they require a never-ending pursuit. The greatest obstacle to creating a High Performance Culture is a lack of focused leadership attention.
“Culture Rules” would be an excellent book for leaders to read and discuss together.
Below are some of the most helpful quotes from the book:
• The wise leader will always leverage insights from the past while creating a better tomorrow.
• Organizations do not drift toward greatness; they must be led there.
• Alignment is about harnessing the individual brilliance, passion, and talents of everyone and channeling them toward a common cause.
• Healthy cultures enable healthy growth.
• A clearly articulated purpose will leave no doubt in the hearts and minds of your entire organization as to why it exists.
• The essence of leadership is creating a better tomorrow, envisioning a preferred future, and rallying people to make it a reality.
• Values are an ongoing and daily pursuit.
• People always watch the leader.
• People need to see leadership much more than they need to study it.
• In its most simple terms, culture is about aligning people around your Aspiration.
• Strategic communication is one of the most powerful weapons in your arsenal for building a High Performance Culture.
• For our organizations to thrive, we must be open to ideas and practices that are different from those of the past.
• If you are allowing politeness to overtake candor as the norm, your leadership impact will be compromised, and it will be exceedingly difficult for your organization to thrive.
January 21, 2024
"Leaders animate culture" (refering to the key role of leaders). "Organizations do not drift toward greatness; they must be led there."
Probably one of the latest books on organizational culture (published in March 2023). It does give a good overview how organizational culture manifests in different areas of organization, what are the characteristics of good or bad culture and how to go about improving it. I valued most the relatively short summary of how to identify really bad culture. When reading then also felt some resonances with "The Advantage" from Lencioni. Still, my best book on organizational culture remains to be "Culture Code" by Daniel Coyle.
Three conditions that must be met for high performance culture:
*Alignment
*Performance
*Improvement
Three rules towards building a high performance culture:
*Aspire - share your hopes and dreams for the future
*Amplify - ensure cultural aspiration is reinforced continuously
*Adapt - always work to enhance the culture, be flexible
Different topics covered: purpose of organization, mission and values, importance of listening and stories, fit for role VS fit for culture, workplace strategy, strategic communication, performance measurement, pulse surveys.
"Alignment is about harnessing the individual brilliance, passion, and talents of everyone and channeling them toward a common cause."
"People always watch the leader. People need to see leadership much more than they need to study it."
"If you are allowing politeness to overtake candor as the norm, your leadership impact will be compromised, and it will be exceedingly difficult for your organization to thrive."
Probably one of the latest books on organizational culture (published in March 2023). It does give a good overview how organizational culture manifests in different areas of organization, what are the characteristics of good or bad culture and how to go about improving it. I valued most the relatively short summary of how to identify really bad culture. When reading then also felt some resonances with "The Advantage" from Lencioni. Still, my best book on organizational culture remains to be "Culture Code" by Daniel Coyle.
Three conditions that must be met for high performance culture:
*Alignment
*Performance
*Improvement
Three rules towards building a high performance culture:
*Aspire - share your hopes and dreams for the future
*Amplify - ensure cultural aspiration is reinforced continuously
*Adapt - always work to enhance the culture, be flexible
Different topics covered: purpose of organization, mission and values, importance of listening and stories, fit for role VS fit for culture, workplace strategy, strategic communication, performance measurement, pulse surveys.
"Alignment is about harnessing the individual brilliance, passion, and talents of everyone and channeling them toward a common cause."
"People always watch the leader. People need to see leadership much more than they need to study it."
"If you are allowing politeness to overtake candor as the norm, your leadership impact will be compromised, and it will be exceedingly difficult for your organization to thrive."
March 20, 2023
I recently joined a new organization and my number one criterion in a new opportunity was a strong and vibrant culture. Companies with a healthy, innovative, and employee focused culture perform better, grow employees and are open to new ideas. Culture is at the heart of every growing company and those who everyone wants to join.
Culture Rules by Mark Miller is an insightful new book for leaders in any industry whether you are an entrepreneur or manage large teams. Mark has hands on experience and leadership building strong cultures and offers real-life stories and strategies for creating and maintaining a strong company culture.
The book is divided into three parts including an overview of what culture is, the key elements of a strong culture, and a roadmap to implementing and maintaining a strong culture over time as a company grows. He introduces us to three rules to implementing and growing a strong culture. They include:
1. Aspire: Share your hopes, ideas, dreams regarding culture
2. Amplify: Grow and make culture a continuous priority
3. Adapt: Be flexible and be willing to change to keep culture alive and thriving
I have been a fan of Mark Miller’s leadership and books for years and Culture Rules is another favorite. The book is engaging and speaks to us all no matter what our leadership level. The ideas, tips, and strategies are achievable and reinforce the idea that we all have an impact on culture and creating innovative and open places to work.
Culture Rules by Mark Miller is an insightful new book for leaders in any industry whether you are an entrepreneur or manage large teams. Mark has hands on experience and leadership building strong cultures and offers real-life stories and strategies for creating and maintaining a strong company culture.
The book is divided into three parts including an overview of what culture is, the key elements of a strong culture, and a roadmap to implementing and maintaining a strong culture over time as a company grows. He introduces us to three rules to implementing and growing a strong culture. They include:
1. Aspire: Share your hopes, ideas, dreams regarding culture
2. Amplify: Grow and make culture a continuous priority
3. Adapt: Be flexible and be willing to change to keep culture alive and thriving
I have been a fan of Mark Miller’s leadership and books for years and Culture Rules is another favorite. The book is engaging and speaks to us all no matter what our leadership level. The ideas, tips, and strategies are achievable and reinforce the idea that we all have an impact on culture and creating innovative and open places to work.
February 25, 2023
I will admit that Mark Miller’s books are great. He is a great storyteller, evidenced by his business fables that are classics. His most recent books (SMART LEADERSHIP and now, CULTURE RULES) have broken the norm and are business texts in the “classic sense”. And while not as entertaining Mark’s business fables, CULTURE RULES is packed with research-based, thoughtful, commentary. Culture is an intangible tangible; its elusiveness and complexity make it difficult to put your arms around. In CULTURE RULES, Mark explains its presence in— and impact on— every organization. In effect, culture does rule. He effectively uses stories to show how to aspire, amplify and reinforce, and adapt to enhance the culture in organizations. At the end of each chapter he asks a pertinent question to reinforce his commentary. And as a bonus, a QR Code at the end of the book gets you a free digital copy of the Culture Rules Field Guide!
March 7, 2023
Culture Rules is a great tool in equipping leaders to build strong teams. Half the battle of having a powerful work crew is making sure they want to be there. With so many people jumping ship from job to job looking for the best job for them, having a culture within the confines of the company that makes people want to dig in and stay takes work. Within the pages of this book are three simple rules which leaders may use for their own work environment.
A must read for anyone in Leadership.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book with no expectation in return. The opinions above are my own and I voluntarily chose to share them to help others in their thoughts of buying the book.
A must read for anyone in Leadership.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book with no expectation in return. The opinions above are my own and I voluntarily chose to share them to help others in their thoughts of buying the book.
March 8, 2023
Another incredible leadership read from Mark Miller - this one focused on the importance of, and how to build, a meaningful and positive workplace culture that empowers team members. Mark invites us to play the game of building an effective culture by following three rules - Aspire, Amplify, and Adapt. These three tenets are explored as Mark does an outstanding job of connecting the three into an overall strategy of creating a meaningful workplace culture.
Highly recommended for leaders at all levels - simple, effective clarity on an often mid-understood topic of leadership. Another outstanding read from Mark Miller!!!
Highly recommended for leaders at all levels - simple, effective clarity on an often mid-understood topic of leadership. Another outstanding read from Mark Miller!!!
December 30, 2022
This book was a little difficult to get going. I was hoping for another business fable that Mark Miller is famous for instead, I received an in-depth look, and how to understand and create a good culture within an organization. There are many hands-on, and challenging questions that Miller asks in the book , also, I found the encouragement to go deeper Instead of hand, waving and doing surface level surveys of culture that I am familiar with in my organization, I recommend this book to leaders who want to have good culture for real.
March 4, 2023
What if you could build a culture at your organization that people were drawn to because of who they could become there?
This book gives you the framework to do exactly that. Culture happens within an organization no matter what. So it’s up to you, the leader, to make it by design rather than default.
Miller breaks down how to do this into three rules - aspire, amplify, and adapt. He shares stories to illustrate the various points and perspectives.
If you want to have a high performing workplace, then begin by ensuring you have a high performance culture.
This book gives you the framework to do exactly that. Culture happens within an organization no matter what. So it’s up to you, the leader, to make it by design rather than default.
Miller breaks down how to do this into three rules - aspire, amplify, and adapt. He shares stories to illustrate the various points and perspectives.
If you want to have a high performing workplace, then begin by ensuring you have a high performance culture.
Read
March 7, 2023Mark Miller has significant expertise in management and leadership and has definitely nailed the concept of the effect culture has on an organization. This book is packed with common sense practices leaders should follow to have positive organizational cultures. At the end of each chapter, Miller has a section called Your Move where he provides exercises for leaders to take a hard look at their organizations. You will walk away with a thorough knowledge about how to diagnose your own culture and will have a game plan for how to make it better. I received an advance reader copy for review.
October 14, 2025
This is a great book by Mark Miller! Mark applies this strategy through the lense of business culture, but I think it can be used in a broader sense as I currently serve in the military. This strategy of applying different techniques really can establish a culture where people will want to be there and even enjoy the experience because of the culture that surrounds them. However, you as the leader need to set the example, which Mark provides great stories throughout to understand the lessons. Great book and another must read.
December 3, 2023
I thought this was one of the best leadership books I have read. I really like the story about Alexander the Great. The one thing that sort of threw me was how the author started the book by describing a set of game rules, but then did not really come back to that theme throughout the rest of the book.
February 18, 2023
Are you ready to play the game? Culture Rules is easy to read and contains such valuable information for those trying to improve their work culture. Mark gives relatable examples and shares ideas and questions to ask your team. Looking forward to sharing these ideas with others!
March 8, 2023
MANAGE THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE THROUGH IMPROVED BUSINESS CULTURE
Culture Rules is an in-depth look at how the culture in an organization can make or break that organization. With his years of leadership experience, Mark Miller has consolidated his knowledge and presented it in an easy-to-read format to help leaders get to the kernel of managing their organization’s culture and becoming more effective at leading through his invaluable insight. As I read the book, I could see many of the scenarios that played out during my own time of leadership. I wish I had read the book then, especially recognizing the toxins within the organization. His insight into considering past history was also important, enabling the leader to seed the future with the aspirations that had gone before him.
What I liked about this book was that although it covers a deep subject, Mr. Miller had broken it down into easily digestible and practical chunks, so it is certainly worth a place on every leader’s bookshelf.
Culture Rules is an in-depth look at how the culture in an organization can make or break that organization. With his years of leadership experience, Mark Miller has consolidated his knowledge and presented it in an easy-to-read format to help leaders get to the kernel of managing their organization’s culture and becoming more effective at leading through his invaluable insight. As I read the book, I could see many of the scenarios that played out during my own time of leadership. I wish I had read the book then, especially recognizing the toxins within the organization. His insight into considering past history was also important, enabling the leader to seed the future with the aspirations that had gone before him.
What I liked about this book was that although it covers a deep subject, Mr. Miller had broken it down into easily digestible and practical chunks, so it is certainly worth a place on every leader’s bookshelf.
March 2, 2023
Always a treat and learning experience when reading a book of Mr. Miller's. This one provides excellent, research based advice on how we all can build strong cultures in our organizations making them places people want to work and stay. Highly recommended for leaders everywhere.
March 7, 2023
This book is AMAZING! It is just what I needed as I seek to build a high performance culture in my organization. I purchased copies of this book to give to my team members - that's how good it is.
May 16, 2023
Valuable book on organizational culture, it’s impact and how you can guide it. Easy read and provides immediate value.
January 1, 2024
Best book on creating and sustaining cute in the workplace that I have read to date!
February 4, 2024
My expections were high but at the end was a bit basic for what I hoped to find
April 11, 2023
I just finished reading Bent, by James Walker and the concepts in the two books are very similar.
This book is more high level than Bent, and I would say Culture Rules is definitely senior and C suite level, as the material is slanted towards those who have the ability to make decisions affecting multiple departments and thousands of employees.
Relatively simple, no complicated theories or rules to follow, but lots of common sense.
Highly recommended
I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for a fair review.
This book is more high level than Bent, and I would say Culture Rules is definitely senior and C suite level, as the material is slanted towards those who have the ability to make decisions affecting multiple departments and thousands of employees.
Relatively simple, no complicated theories or rules to follow, but lots of common sense.
Highly recommended
I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for a fair review.
December 15, 2023
This book gives you the rules in order to play the game of building a High Performance Culture. According to Mark Miller there are three main rules: Aspire, Amplify and Adapt. Each chapter ends with a Your Move section where you are given questions to think about as you create your culture. I enjoyed the chapter named Master Class best as it gives you 7 case studies to read and think about.
October 31, 2024
I think this is a very valuable book for those who need perspective on why cultivating and protecting culture is important! It's not so much for me, just because I already see the value and importance, so a lot of the info was just basic in some aspects.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews