The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups

by Daniel Coyle Narrated by Will Damron

Overview

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.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Advance praise for The Culture Code

“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

APRIL 2018 - AudioFile

Narrator Will Damron’s warm tone fits Coyle’s audiobook, which extols the virtue of connectedness in our work culture. The title refers to that hard-to-define space where members of a team find their relationship with each other safe and welcoming, rather than anxiety inducing and competitive. Damron provides examples of key organizations, including Pixar Studios, where employees across the spectrum, from lead artists to campus baristas, are all part of the success of the collective workforce. Such success results from constructive, empathetic communication with an emphasis on active listening. Appropriately Coyle sounds like the reassuring facilitator of a professional workshop. S.P.C. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2017-10-11
Pop science meets a business pep talk in a useful primer on building better organizations.What's the difference between a kindergarten class and a gaggle of business students? For one thing, writes talent-development guru Coyle (The Little Book of Talent: 52 Tips for Improving Your Skill, 2012, etc.), although the business students have been filled with case studies and mantras on institution-building and teamwork, "in fact they are engaged in a process psychologists call status management." While the grown-ups jockey for position, the children actually make things happen. They huddle closely in groups, grab things excitedly, quickly discard things that don't work, and don't invest much ego into the enterprise. From basketball teams to Navy SEAL teams and businesses, all of which provide case studies for Coyle's consideration, the overriding takeaway might be the simple but nonetheless meaningful truism, "we are all in this together." One aspect of any collaborative venture, whether a corporate marketing project or a startup coffee shop, is that the people in it must feel connected, well-led, and safe—i.e., treated respectfully and authentically. Coyle's mantras ("Avoid Giving Sandwich Feedback," "Listen Like a Trampoline") are decidedly not your grandpa's business school notes and may sometimes come off a little nonsensically, but they seem useful throughout, especially if working with younger people who aren't accustomed to the usual brutalities of the workaday world. "Overcommunicate expectations," urges the author, adding that in the most successful groups, leaders are persistent in articulating their goals and what each person needs to do to move along. Tough, cigar-chewing types may decry the implied hand-holding and trophy-for-showing-up implications, but there's something to Coyle's insistence that people do better when they're treated well and managed thoughtfully; as one Pixar chief puts it, "it's more important to invest in good people than in good ideas."Nothing world-shaking, but a good thing to stuff into the briefcase for the next train or plane ride.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171791056
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	01/30/2018
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	552,684

Read an Excerpt

 
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Excerpted from "The Culture Code"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Daniel Coyle.
Excerpted by permission of Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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