What You Do Is Who You Are: How to Create Your Business Culture

by Ben Horowitz

As his armies surged forward, Genghis made sure that the best practices among the newly conquered were transmitted throughout his domain. In this way, the entire empire rose as one. Weatherford writes: Whether in their policy of religious tolerance, devising a universal alphabet, maintaining relay stations, playing games, or printing almanacs, money, or astronomy charts, the rulers of the Mongol Empire displayed a persistent universalism. Because they had no system of their own to impose upon their subjects, they were willing to adopt and combine systems from everywhere. Without deep cultural preferences in these areas, the Mongols implemented pragmatic rather than ideological solutions. They searched for what worked best; and when they found it, they spread it to other countries. Genghis created a remarkably stable culture by founding it on three principles: meritocracy, loyalty, and inclusion.