The best way to describe a startup’s people culture is use the words “collegial” and “collaborative”. In my mind, these are essential foundational ingredients.
Culture is like an organism. It’s the company’s immune system and its very core. It’s untouchable, once it gets past its formative stage. Just like an immune system rejects organs that are foreign to it, the company culture will reject a bad hire that doesn’t fit.
So, don’t make the mistake to rush into hiring decisions because the skills are there and you needed them yesterday. The culture fit is as important as the skills/experience you’re looking for, yet more job descriptions are filled with skills/experience requirements and tell little about the company’s culture. I still recall the newspaper job posting that got me hired at Hewlett-Packard in 1982 was 3/4 about the company and its values and 1/4 about the job itself.
There is a WAR FOR STARTUP TALENT out there. And your CULTURE is a WEAPON you have,- all other things being equal. Create that environment that will attract the best talent, and you’ll have an easier time finding it.
William Mougayar’s comment on company culture — A VC: MBA Mondays: Culture And Fit