{"id":69879,"date":"2022-06-13T20:50:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-14T00:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=69879"},"modified":"2026-01-21T16:42:01","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T20:42:01","slug":"ben-horowitz-what-you-do-is-who-you-are","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/ben-horowitz-what-you-do-is-who-you-are\/","title":{"rendered":"Ben Horowitz: What You Do Is Who You Are"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What’s an intentional culture? What can you learn from historical cultures to apply to your own workplace?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ben Horowitz’s What You Do Is Who You Are<\/a><\/em> argues that culture is the way employees make decisions and act based on their perception of underlying premises and shared beliefs. Culture derives from what leaders state explicitly and also what they enforce implicitly by example and through the organization\u2019s incentive<\/a> structure. Leaders\u2019 actions and messaging inform employees\u2019 behavior. Therefore, Horowitz argues that it\u2019s important to be intentional about the culture you\u2019re designing. If you\u2019re not intentional in shaping your culture, your employees will shape it in ways you might not like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading for an overview of the book What You Do Is Who You Are<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

What You Do Is Who You Are<\/em>\u2014Book Overview<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ben Horowitz’s What You Do Is Who You Are<\/em><\/em> cites four unique historical cultures to show how to translate your beliefs into action\u2014that is, how to create the culture you want and sustain it over time. In addition, we consider how Horowitz\u2019s advice compares to that of other culture experts and how the real-life business examples he shares measure up in the years after publication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Experts argue that, if a strong cultural identity flows down from the top, it\u2019s easier to get the entire company aligned. If not, siloed departments each start creating their own competing cultures, and there is no coherent identity binding the organization together<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Culture Matters<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Horowitz cites three reasons leaders should care about culture. First, an intentional culture serves the company\u2019s vision by ensuring employees know what to do to move the company forward and consistently do it<\/strong>. (Shortform note: In Built to Last<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>Jim Collins and Jerry Porras argue that culture helps leaders ensure every element of the business reinforces the others<\/a>, instead of competing.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, the right culture boosts performance by giving employees a sense of purpose<\/a><\/strong>. (Shortform note: In Measure What Matters<\/em><\/a>, John Doerr says culture is, most of all, a shared sense of purpose<\/a>, and a cohesive company culture<\/a> where everyone understands their purpose helps employees make decisions quickly and reliably.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Horowitz says a great culture plus a great product or service is powerful\u2014it can disrupt an industry and an entire system<\/strong>. If an organization develops effective new behaviors to deal with challenges, and the company is successful, other companies copy the culture in the hopes of being equally successful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: One of Horowitz\u2019s examples of a great culture plus a great product disrupting an industry is hip-hop. But while hip-hop culture disrupted the music world, its influence extended even further. It also disrupted the way companies in other industries did business<\/a>. For example, executives at Cristal, a champagne brand hip-hop artists showcased in their music videos, openly rejected a connection to that community. Hip-hop artists responded by no longer using the brand in their videos, and Cristal\u2019s market share dropped dramatically.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Core Elements of Intentional Cultures<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Horowitz says all intentional cultures share two core elements<\/strong>. First, the culture you design should reflect who you are as a leader, your strengths, and beliefs, rather than emulate what other leaders do<\/strong>. If you start from your strengths, the culture you design will be sustainable because you\u2019ll be implementing a style that comes naturally to you. However, your culture shouldn\u2019t reflect your weaknesses, or characteristics that won\u2019t serve the organization\u2019s vision. As the leader, your example sets the tone for the organization, so your weaknesses can permeate the culture as employees emulate your behavior. To keep them from infecting your culture, the author says you first need to become aware of your weaknesses, then immunize your culture against them by building in checks and balances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Experts argue that the founder is 80% of a company\u2019s culture<\/a>. The qualities and strengths that set the founder apart become competitive advantages for the company, but only if the founder builds them into the culture. Also, being aware of your weaknesses is essential in those first rounds of hiring. If the founder has certain weaknesses, she needs to hire people who can complement them with the strengths she\u2019s lacking.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second core element of a successful culture is that it supports the organization\u2019s strategy. Horowitz says your cultural features, such as policies, must encourage employees to act in ways that bring the company closer to its vision<\/strong>. (Shortform note: If you\u2019re looking to change your organization\u2019s existing culture, making sure the new culture supports your strategy is key<\/a>. Experts who studied the cultures of top-performing companies identified matching culture to strategy as the number one principle to follow.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lessons From the Samurai Honor Code\u2014Develop Virtues<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Horowitz examines four successful cultures in history for lessons that business leaders can apply to developing their own cultures. The first is the samurai culture, which illustrates the importance of establishing clear, actionable values, or virtues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The samurai<\/a> were a military class<\/a> that ruled pre-modern Japan from 1186 until 1868. Their virtues, expressed in an honor code or bushido<\/em>, were so effective that they kept the samurai in power for nearly 700 years, and they\u2019re still echoed in modern-day Japan. (Shortform note: In The Book of Five Rings<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>written in the 17th century, samurai warrior Miyamoto Musashi reflects on bushido<\/em>, \u201cthe way of the warrior,\u201d emphasizing the importance of constant practice, achieving mental and physical equilibrium, and ways to defeat any enemy.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Choose Your Virtues With Action in Mind<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

From the samurai, Horowitz identifies two characteristics a virtue should have to be effective:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1) Effective virtues are practical and set you up for success.<\/strong> To create an effective virtue, Horowitz says you should specify what the belief would look like in practice, so you can determine whether it\u2019s a virtue you can live up to. If you\u2019d have a hard time applying the virtue consistently, it doesn\u2019t belong in your culture, because you\u2019ll constantly fall short. (Shortform note: In Dare to Lead<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>Bren\u00e9 Brown shares advice on how to make sure you regularly practice your values (virtues). She suggests listing behaviors that support the belief and regularly assessing whether you\u2019re putting them into practice<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2) Effective virtues define who you are as an organization.<\/strong> You shouldn\u2019t select virtues all other organizations in your industry are already espousing. Horowitz warns that industry cultural standards might not work for you, or you might adopt a cultural practice without adopting the belief underpinning it. (Shortform note: One way to choose virtues that define your organization is to identify the ones your star employees already have. In Traction<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>Gino Wickman suggests <\/em>a way to determine your organization\u2019s core values<\/a>. First, identify your star performers. Then list the characteristics they embody, and decide which of those values define your company.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Explain How to Apply Virtues<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Effective virtues have detailed definitions, instructions, and examples. <\/strong>Horowitz explains that <\/strong>bushido<\/em> defined what each virtue was <\/em>and what it wasn\u2019t, <\/em>and it explained what they looked like in action. The virtues complemented each other, preventing warriors from narrowly pursuing one to the detriment of another. After choosing your virtues, Horowitz prescribes taking these steps to follow the samurai approach for applying them:<\/p>\n\n\n\n