What Danny Meyer has said about Organizational culture

Meyer argues that a growing business needs funding and leadership but also culture, which he likens to soil.

“It needs the soil. And the soil is the culture. The culture is... what the plant is growing in”

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk: 708: Danny Meyer - How You Make People Feel: The Founder of Shake Shack & Union Square Hospitality Group on Culture as Soil, the 49/51 Hiring Formula, and Leading With Generosity (Sep 27, 2026) · Listen from 9:37

Meyer says the best way to scale culture is to be explicit about which behaviors are celebrated and which are not tolerated.

“be really, really clear with everyone in the company which behaviors we are going to celebrate and which behaviors we are not going to tolerate”

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk: 708: Danny Meyer - How You Make People Feel: The Founder of Shake Shack & Union Square Hospitality Group on Culture as Soil, the 49/51 Hiring Formula, and Leading With Generosity (Sep 27, 2026) · Listen from 9:37

Meyer argues that compromising on skills or character in hires and promotions sends a message that stated values were not meant.

“Because every time you compromise on either one of those, you're sending a powerful message, maybe unwittingly, but you are sending a powerful message to everybody else”

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk: 708: Danny Meyer - How You Make People Feel: The Founder of Shake Shack & Union Square Hospitality Group on Culture as Soil, the 49/51 Hiring Formula, and Leading With Generosity (Sep 27, 2026) · Listen from 10:45