Norms

You're seeing it when a company's handbook says "we value diverse opinions" but every meeting follows the same pattern: the most senior person speaks first, and everyone agrees. The norm — defer to authority — overrides the policy.

You're seeing it when a new employee asks whether it's okay to leave at 5pm and is told "of course" but notices nobody else ever does. The formal answer and the norm are different; the norm will win.

Your behaviour as founder sets the norms. Every action you take — what you praise, what you tolerate, what you do yourself — becomes the norm. Audit the gap between your stated values and the actual norms, and close it through your own visible behaviour.

Cucinelli built one of the world's most valuable luxury brands by establishing and enforcing unusual norms. He mandated that no one in the company — including himself — works past 5:30pm or checks email after hours. Lunch is communal and long. The factory in Solomeo, Italy, was restored as a village with gardens, libraries, and theatres. These weren't policies buried in a handbook; they were norms set by visible, daily leadership behaviour. Cucinelli ate with employees, left on time, and invested heavily in the environment that reinforced the culture. The result: low turnover, exceptional craftsmanship, and a brand synonymous with humanistic business. For founders, the lesson is that norms are built by what you consistently do, not by what you write.