About This Episode

Chris Yoko is passionate about fostering a great company culture.

But that means different things to different people. 

So, he joined us on the Sales Engagement Podcast to talk about what that means to him and how he’s built a culture at Yoko Consulting that people actually want to be a part of. 

Why he’s passionate about culture in the first place

Chris didn’t realize he was really passionate about work culture until he encountered some companies that had really bad cultures. 

These cultures were characterized by things like micromanagement and a lack of trust. 

So, he set out to build a company with a truly great culture.

A place where he would want to work…even if he wasn’t the founder.

So, how’d he do it?

The overarching philosophy

Chris’s ability to create a great work culture starts with one fundamental philosophy:

People bring their personal lives to work.

Often times, our workplaces promote this idea of leaving your personal issues at the door.

But that’s not a realistic expectation.

Nor is it a respectful one.

People are people. 

We have personal issues that are a part of who we are. And that’s okay. 

If someone’s child is sick, they can’t just forget about it. They can’t “leave it at the door.” You can ask them to do that, but it probably won’t do much good. They’ll still think about it. And they’ll probably resent you and your policies for not being more understanding.

So, there’s not really a point to treating people that way. 

Instead, you can focus on respecting people and embracing every aspect of their lives.

So, how has Yoko Consulting integrated this idea into their company culture?

First of all, they’ve implemented a framework of alignment.

Yoko Consulting works exclusively with organizations that have a passion and purpose beyond profit. 

So, employees get to work on things that they feel very passionate about. Things that align well with their personal values.

Second, their policies and benefits are focused on supporting a culture where people can thrive.

For example, Chris knows that different people are productive at different parts of the day. Some of us are morning birds while others are night owls. 

So, Yoko doesn’t have set operating hours. They do ask people to be available between 11-3 in case the team needs to attend a meeting, but other than that, people are free to work earlier, later, and in whatever time zone they want.

And in addition to offering all the traditional benefits, Yoko offers things like unlimited paid time off.

Finally, their processes are focused on creating a great experience for employees in the day to day.

Whether it’s good process documentation or a template for creating a great customer experience, Yoko is focused on ensuring employees have the tools they need to accomplish their objectives.

And while they have processes established to help employees get the hang of things at first, employees are free to work through things their own way if they prefer. 

And if they find a better way of doing things, Yoko will apply those suggestions to their process guidelines.

So, here’s the bottom line:

People bring their personal lives to work. 

If you remember that, and if you focus your policies and tools around that idea, chances are you’ll build a company culture where your people can thrive

This is an interview with Chris Yoko from Yoko Consulting. To hear this episode, and many more like it, you can subscribe to The Sales Engagement Podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or on our website.

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