# Culture Document > Writes company culture documents with values, behaviors, rituals, and how culture shows up in daily work for team alignment. - Skill: `reaperinvest/culture-document` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add reaperinvest/culture-document` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/reaperinvest/culture-document/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: reaperinvest (https://skillmd.com/u/reaperinvest) - Updated: 2026-09-22 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/reaperinvest/culture-document --- # 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.