reaperinvest Culture Document
When to Use This Skill
Use this skill when you need to:
- Articulate your company values and culture in a shareable document
- Define what values look like as daily behaviors, not just wall posters
- Create a culture reference for hiring, onboarding, and decision-making
- Build rituals and practices that reinforce the culture you want
DO NOT use this skill for employer branding, careers page copy, or team charters. This is for the internal culture definition document.
Core Principle
CULTURE IS NOT WHAT YOU SAY — IT IS WHAT YOU DO REPEATEDLY. A CULTURE DOCUMENT IS ONLY VALUABLE IF IT DESCRIBES REAL BEHAVIORS, NOT ASPIRATIONAL PLATITUDES.
Phase 1: Discovery
Uncover the real culture before documenting it.
Required Inputs
| Input | What to Ask | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Business stage | "How old is the business and how many people?" | Early stage, 1-5 people |
| Current values | "Do you have stated values? If yes, what are they?" | No formal values |
| What you reward | "What behavior gets praised or rewarded in your business?" | No default |
| What frustrates you | "What behavior drives you crazy in team members or partners?" | No default |
| Heroes | "Describe someone who exemplifies what your business stands for." | No default |
| Decision filter | "When you make a hard business decision, what principle guides you?" | No default |
Culture Audit Questions
## Culture Reality Check
Answer honestly — not what you aspire to, but what is true today:
1. What behavior gets someone promoted or re-hired here?
2. What behavior gets someone fired or not renewed?
3. When there is a conflict between speed and quality, which wins?
4. When there is a conflict between the customer and the team member, which wins?
5. What would a new hire observe about how we work in their first week?
GATE: Complete the discovery before writing the culture document.
Phase 2: Define Values
Articulate 3-5 core values with behavioral definitions.
Value Definition Template
For each value, define three layers:
## Our Values
### Value 1: [Name — e.g., "Own It"]
**What it means:** [One sentence definition]
**What it looks like:**
- [Specific observable behavior — e.g., "You flag problems early instead of hoping they go away"]
- [Specific behavior — e.g., "You say 'I will handle that' and follow through without being reminded"]
- [Specific behavior]
**What it does NOT look like:**
- [Anti-behavior — e.g., "Blaming external factors when something goes wrong"]
- [Anti-behavior — e.g., "Waiting to be told what to do"]
**How we assess it:**
- In hiring: [Question or scenario that tests this value]
- In reviews: [Observable evidence of this value]
Value Quality Check
Every value must pass these tests:
- Is it real? Can you point to 3 examples of this value in action?
- Is it specific? Would someone from a different company say "that is unique to you"?
- Is it actionable? Can a new hire understand what to do differently because of this value?
- Is it honest? Would your team agree this is true, not aspirational?
Values to Avoid
These are not values — they are generic expectations:
- "Integrity" (everyone claims this)
- "Innovation" (meaningless without specifics)
- "Excellence" (too vague to act on)
- "Teamwork" (expected everywhere)
Instead, describe the SPECIFIC version: "We ship fast and fix forward" is more useful than "Innovation."
GATE: Present values for review before building the full document.
Phase 3: Write the Document
Create the complete culture document.
Culture Document Template
# [Business Name] Culture
**Last updated:** [Date]
---
## Who We Are
[2-3 paragraph narrative: What this business stands for, who we serve, and how we approach our work. Write in first person plural. Be specific and honest.]
## Our Values
### 1. [Value Name]
[Full definition with behaviors and anti-behaviors — from Phase 2]
### 2. [Value Name]
[Full definition]
### 3. [Value Name]
[Full definition]
## How Culture Shows Up Daily
### How We Communicate
[Specific norms — e.g., "We default to async. We write things down. We assume good intent in written messages."]
### How We Make Decisions
[Decision framework — e.g., "We move fast with 80% certainty. We do not wait for perfect information."]
### How We Give Feedback
[Feedback norms — e.g., "Directly and promptly. We do not save feedback for quarterly reviews."]
### How We Handle Mistakes
[Error culture — e.g., "We own mistakes publicly, learn from them, and move on. We do not punish honest errors."]
## Our Rituals
| Ritual | Frequency | Purpose |
|--------|-----------|---------|
| [e.g., Monday priorities share] | Weekly | Alignment and accountability |
| [e.g., Friday wins thread] | Weekly | Celebration and momentum |
| [e.g., Quarterly retrospective] | Quarterly | Continuous improvement |
## Who Thrives Here
This is a great place for people who:
- [Trait — e.g., "Want ownership, not hand-holding"]
- [Trait — e.g., "Communicate proactively, especially bad news"]
- [Trait]
This is NOT a great place for people who:
- [Anti-trait — e.g., "Need constant direction and approval"]
- [Anti-trait — e.g., "Avoid difficult conversations"]
- [Anti-trait]
GATE: Present the full document for review.
Phase 4: Activate
Make the culture document a living part of the business.
Integration Points
- Hiring: Share the culture doc with candidates. Use it in interview questions.
- Onboarding: Review on Day 1. Discuss what each value means in practice.
- Performance reviews: Evaluate team members against values, not just output.
- Decision-making: Reference values when facing tough choices.
- Recognition: Call out when someone embodies a value.
Culture Maintenance
- Review the document biannually — does it still reflect reality?
- Update when the team grows or the business evolves
- Ask new hires after 30 days: "Does the culture doc match your experience?"
- If the answer is no, fix the culture or fix the document
Anti-Patterns
- Aspirational fiction — writing the culture you wish you had instead of the one you actually have. Be honest first, then evolve.
- Wall poster values — "Integrity, Excellence, Innovation" on a poster with no behavioral definition changes nothing.
- Too many values — more than 5 values means none are prioritized. Focus.
- Leadership does not follow them — culture is set by what leaders do, not what they write. If the founder violates the values, the document is fiction.
- One-time exercise — culture evolves. A document written 3 years ago for a 2-person team does not apply to a 15-person team.
Recovery
- User cannot identify their values: Use the audit questions. "What gets someone fired?" and "What gets someone praised?" reveal real values, even if unstated.
- Team disagrees on values: That is the conversation the culture doc exists to have. Facilitate a discussion, find common ground, and document the agreements.
- User is a solopreneur with no team yet: Write the culture doc as a hiring filter. It ensures the first hire aligns with how you want to work.
- Current culture is unhealthy: Acknowledge it honestly. Document what is, then define what you want and create a plan to bridge the gap.
- Document feels corporate or stuffy: Rewrite in the founder's natural voice. The document should sound like the business actually talks, not like an HR department.