Lead Your Tribe, Love Your Work: An Entrepreneur's Guide to Creating a Culture that Matters

by Piyush Patel

AXIOM AWARD WINNER IN LEADERSHIP
In Lead Your Tribe, Love Your Work, Piyush Patel offers an insider’s perspective on how to unify your team around a common purpose by uncovering your core values and transforming your culture.

With over 20 years of entrepreneurial experience, Piyush has discovered that—while leaders can provide opportunities—real culture comes from the heart. Using real-life examples and practical takeaways, Lead Your Tribe, Love Your Work is the ultimate guide to creating a tribe to lead and a workplace you love. Piyush challenges readers to rethink their current paths,
 
•The business-owner wake-up How to tell when your company culture is failing and what to do to fix it
•The key to employee retention is BAM—Belonging, Affirmation, and Meaning
•Secrets to successful How to make new employees feel like they already belong
•Constructive “uncomfortable” Tips for getting positive results from conflict
•Four questions to ask your employees to get a pulse on your company’s culture
•When successful businesses happen to poor Identify negative initiatives and reshape your company before it’s too late
•How to spot the difference between ‘real’ and ‘faux’ Why a company with perks can still be toxic

As a business owner or leader, Lead Your Tribe, Love Your Work will challenge you to take control of your culture and create a thriving company that’s built for longevity.

Genres: Leadership, Business

205 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 6, 2018

About the author

Piyush Patel, has helped creative and technology leadership teams all over the world create cultures that matter. While the CEO of Digital-Tutors (acquired by Pluralsight in 2014) he had the opportunity to impact over 1.5 million creative professionals around the world including companies like Pixar, Apple, Ford, NASA to name just a few.

Currently the founder of Momentum Culture which helps companies and leadership teams develop their culture as their greatest advantage in such a competitive environment. The author of Lead Your Tribe, Love Your Work he has been featured in Inc, Fast Company, Tech Crunch and is a TEDx speaker.

For those of you who enjoy a glass of wine he has also followed his dream of now owning a winery in Napa Valley called Conclusion Wines.

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was written in a down to earth way. It actually was a very quick read (I read it on a flight to a meeting). It was easy to follow where the author was going with his ideas. I loved the examples and stories of ways he used to build culture. It included some very easy to implement ideas on how to develop values around not just the business but your employees. Each section ends with a chance for you to think through the concepts presented and how you might implement them in your own company or work environment.

I highly recommend this book for anyone looking at developing a good solid culture around taking care of and engaging your employees.

Thanks to Piyush Patel and Dream Big Imprint for the Advanced Copy and the chance to read and review.

I GIVE THIS BOOK A STRONG 5 STARS!!!

[Roxanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a Goodreads win review. I loved this book. This is a book about to be a leader of your tribe. Having been in charge of people when I worked I can tell you then you have great people under you the job is great and when you have bad people the job is awful. It is n0t easy to teach employees to have the same core values my parents taught me. Not everyone puts passion into their job. But to teach employees to cooperate and work together is the goal. This book is a great guideline to leading your tribe no matter what business you are in. Before I was a leader myself I noticed I was more willing to help a nice boss who valued me then ones who were jerks.

[Karren Hodgkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This is an inspiring story about the lessons learnt by the author from when he started this business with only a few dollars to when he sold it (for $45 m) 15 years later.

It is clear that the Piyush was not motivated by cash, but rather had a clear vision for his business from the beginning, adapted the mission to changing circumstances, and never compromised on his values.

As an owner of my own business I related to all of these issues. Many I have experienced first hand. While I nodded in some places, at other times I made notes and I plan to try out some of the suggested actions and recommend my clients do so too.

I found Piyush's style of writing appealing. The conversational (less formal) tone made it easy to read. As a result, I think it will have a broad appeal to the business community.

Each of the short chapters (3 to 5 minutes) focus on a key issue, there are specifics, supported by great stories. This bite-sized approach meant that I didn't stop partway through a chapter but got to enjoy the full perspective being communicated (the beginning, middle and end). The content complemented other leadership books I have read, I am planning to work back through the book for a second time in the not too distant future to work through his action lists in more detail.

I highly recommend this book!

With many thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy, I am very grateful for the opportunity to review this book

[Dora Okeyo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've heard so much about tribe and culture when it comes to organizations but never quite grasped how to go about forming them and this book gave me so many practical takeaways that increased my understanding.
It's always great feeling like you belong somewhere and there's this section where the author expounds on their meeting ritual that I liked. I'd love to try it out with my team where there's 60 minutes of value stories from them, team updates come next in 30 minutes and then important dates and financials in 15 minutes and lastly a big takeaway from the meetings in 15 minutes.
I received an arc from NetGalley in exchange for a review but instead, I've got practical insights to improve not just my team but how I value them and make it known to them.

[Julie H. Ernstein · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won a signed edition of this book as part of the Goodreads giveaway program, and want to acknowledge that up front. The author, Piyush Patel, penned a thoughtful note at the front, and I apologize for having taken so long to have made time to read Lead Your Tibe, Love Your Work: An Entrepreneur's Guide to Creating a Culture that Matters.

The emphasis of this book is less on leadership per se than it is on strategies for creating a corporate culture within a startup context via bond, brand, shared vision, and a shared set of core values. That's great--particularly in terms of clearly articulating to yourself and those you hire and promote--what the company's core values are. However, there are instances where some of it feels so entirely forced as to border on coercion. In concept, the BAM! (i.e., belonging affirmation, and meaning) parts are all well and good. However, in execution--particularly telling (and then correcting) how employees express their "value stories" at the author's two-hour monthly End of Month meetings--bordered on the Draconian. The fact that employees could be taken aside and "corrected" regarding how they had congratulated one another on an accomplishment and statement of how it articulates with the company's core values seemed total BS to me. You have people who are sharing credit, giving shout outs to one another, and the fact that they needed to be so highly choreographed made them lose any note of sincerity in my book. This was the staff meeting version of the congratulations that would mean a whole lot more if commended to stationery than sent in a "reply all" email response when prompted by a third party to congratulate someone. Gag.

There were two specific examples developed in the book that read as highly problematic humble brags on the part of the author. In other words, he thought he was bragging about a great accomplishment where this reader simply read them as "Holy cow! Where does one even begin?!" The first arose in the Chapter 11 discussion of firing. Here, Patel shares a story of an employee, Jeff, who engaged in racist jokes and other tactics to belittle his black coworkers. Patel proudly explains that he called Jeff in and fired him because, "I cannot and will not allow any member of my tribe to be belittled, mocked, or the object of someone else's prejudices. That's a clear line in the sand because it goes against our core value of respect" (p. 115). Newsflash! It's also illegal. And the fact that he then shared with everyone precisely what and why this Human Resource action was just as astounding. Dude, everyone knows why you fired Jeff. You didn't "notice" he was a racist until people complained to you. Equally missing the point, is the fact that author and Digital-Tutors founder's "office hours" were held weekly in a bar. He was so absurdly proud of this. No. Just. No. I can't even dignify this utterly tone deaf situation with an explanation of the myriad ways in which it is misguided. Nor should I have to, frankly. Just wow.

On the positive side, some of the discussion of onboarding was great. Many companies and agencies don't do enough in this area. Likewise, a good bit of the discussion of finding the right fit--that is, that someone who is not producing in their current position may thrive in another position within the company--was very well taken.

On balance, however, there is as much here at which I shudder as there is an idea or strategy worth lifting. Hence my 2 1/2 -star rating.

[Mukesh Gupta · Rating 5 out of 5]

We all know the importance of building a strong culture in our organisations. Piyush shares an insiders view of how he went about creating a unique and a strong culture in the company he founded by sharing his practices and their impacts through nice short stories.

This is one of the best books that I have read about building a culture and leading a tribe in a long time...

[Kate Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've recently become the manager of a team so although this book is aimed at entrepreneurs I hoped it would provide some insight for me to build a tribe with my team. There are lots of tips and examples from Piyush's experience with Digital Tutors, but as this is a short book (less than 200 pages) I felt they glossed over the difficulties of making change. However for a quick and easy read it has lots of tips and inspiration.

I received a copy of the book through NetGalley.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes I scan business books for good ideas. This book was chock full of outstanding ideas - no skimming this one! I read it all, and am taking it to work for my co-workers to read. A truly relevant, creative, inspiring book of very current-world excellent ideas and approaches to improving your own experiences at work. I highly recommend this book!

[Shannon Wise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a job. Period. It's not just for those who own or run companies. Piyush Patel has written a treasure chest of advice to do better in your job, or how you run your company, or how to deal with other people. His writing style is clear and concise. He provides plenty of personal stories and anecdotes to show how he applied the philosophy he discusses.

The thing I liked most about this book is that Mr. Patel actually did everything he discusses. He is not putting forth some hippie/granola formula for success that has never been tested. I could tell from the first chapter of this book that he truly cared about his employees and believes that you lead by example. If more corporate and business heads led their companies like he led his, there would be less turnover and more happy employees.

Having been an employee who has left jobs because of managers (not because of the job), I really appreciate the concepts he discusses. If I ever am in a position to lead a group of people, I will implement these tools. I am even going to implement some of these tools in the next class I teach, as I think they will also translate to the classroom.

This book does something crucial for me-it puts employees first. Over money. Over product. Over customers. There is no way Mr. Patel could have built a company that sold for $45 million dollars if these tools did not work.

I won this book from Goodreads and received no other compensation for my review. The opinions expressed here are mine and mine alone. Another reason I loved this book, it was inscribed to me personally - another indicator that Mr. Patel walks the walk.

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this inspirational, uplifting read as a Goodreads giveaway. The author illustrates how he lived by the principles and values of his company and led by example to motivate his team.

[Susan Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thrilled to have received this book from a Goodreads giveaway - and even more excited at the practical applications and inspiration included on it's pages! Thank you to Mr. Patel for sharing your story (and stumbles) along your journey so that others may learn from them.

"Values aren't something you declare; they're something you live."

The "your turn" segments make the reader put the theme into their own context and provides ongoing points for reflection. While the lessons and thoughts are valuable to the private sector, they are also relevant to public service and administration. I'm eager to put some of these principles into practice with my tribe and work!

[Delano Athias · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was an honor to work with Piyush Patel. He was my mentor, and in many ways, a father figure. This book brings back wonderful memories that I enjoyed while growing with the rest of the Digital Tutors team.

I’d recommend this book to anyone who would like to find the secret formula for creating an effective team with a great culture.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

“That’s my challenge for you: start working yourself out of a job. As a business owner, your role isn’t to be the glue that holds your company together forever. If so, then as soon as you’re gone, your business will be, too.”

[Cory Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. So many practical takeaways for running my team and being a better leader.

In particular, B.AM. (Belonging, Affirmation, Meaning) is an incredibly powerful concept and practice for building culture and leading people.

It's worth the entire cost of the book and much more.

Piyush weaves in his rich personal stories to showcase how he used the concept (and many others) to build an incredible business. He's not writing this by proxy, he's lived and breathed the principles he talks about in this book, which reinforced the gravity of everything he writes about.

The story on "The Bathroom Bandit" and using toilet paper was a litmus test as how things were going in his company initially made me laugh but in reflection it was a deeply impactful story for me about values, even in the seemingly "smaller" things.

If you're an entrepreneur, or leader/manager, this book is an essential tool for you ... it is now for me. I highly recommend it.

[Roy M Georgia · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I met Piyush over 10 years ago people told me that he was a real expert on company culture. As I got to know him better it became evident that there was a lot of truth to what I had heard. Piyush really does have a gift for understanding how to build a great company culture and keep it healthy.

This summer I got a copy of Lead Your Tribe, Love Your Work and couldn't wait to read it. Not only was it a pleasure to read Piyush's stories from his successful entrepreneurial journey, it was awesome to get some tangible takeaways and refreshed thinking about what makes a company great.

I highly recommend reading this book to anyone wanting to really embrace what it means to develop and maintain a great company culture capable of propelling your team or company forward.

[Loriann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though I do not work in the business world, so much of what Patel has to say CAN be applied to the educational setting. As I was reading, I was looking at what Patel was saying about owners and applied it to superintendents, principals, teachers, and all the people who are guided under each of those titles, including, but not limited to, teaching staff, support staff, maintenance workers, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, not to mention the parents and students who come to school in our community.

It was a very good read - no pun intended - and I walked away with some good food for thought about how to try to start turning the culture of our establishment around.

[Tatyana Golubeva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having been part of Piyush’s company from day one, I can attest to the genuine advice in this book that works.

The book might be geared towards small business owners, but just replace "small business" with: family, relationship, human being. The stories and advice in this book apply to all.

I️ like to compare this book to America’s Test Kitchen - you don’t have to question how their recipes will turn out, they work every time. The same can be said about “Lead your tribe” - tried and true recipes that have gone through thorough vetting, so you don’t have to question whether they’ll work.

[Julie Cunningham · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read that is inspirational as well as practical. I found a number of ideas that can directly apply to my team, as well as questions that I need to consider as I am building team culture. The book is very easy to read, but many of the examples and concepts are haunting.... meaning they won't leave you alone! I keep referring to them in conversation or as I am planning at work. He demonstrates how a leader can define and live out a workplace culture. I do wonder how those with less "lion" personalities can implement his strategies, but overall there are solid concepts that I will be tailoring to my own environment this year.

[Roy Pearman · Rating 4 out of 5]

So easy, why is it not the model for the work place.

Short and to the point. Sure not rocket science and wonder why more business is not run this way. Too corporate ? Too much pressure on the mid management from the upper so out of touch that do not see the people that live and care not only for their family , themselves and the business? Numbers have become more important than people. If the top management cares and demonstrates so by its relationship with team (tribe) , the team cares!

[Crystal Harkness · Rating 5 out of 5]

The whole time I was reading this book and journaling along with it I was thinking, it would be amazing to work for this guy! I wish my bosses and leaders would use the wisdom found in this book. Just by reading it I knew this guy was onto something and his methods would work. Sadly not enough leaders take the time to read books like this and implement the strategies. I highly recommend this book.

[Bridgette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why did this book get so many 5 star ratings? That’s what I’m wondering… there is nothing revolutionary here nor is it interesting. It reminds me of typical corporate America who thinks “a good company culture” is making up acronyms and forcing their employees to drink the koolaid, tow the line, and spend their free time engaged in company events and get together after-hours. Having core values and handing out matching tee-shirts is trite bs.

[Debra Rhoads · Rating 5 out of 5]

In preparing for a new job, this book was given to me. It is a really quick and easy read. At the end of each chapter there are some really practical ways you can practice what you are reading. It's a good book to help you create the culture you desire for your work place.

[Mohamed Hamouda · Rating 5 out of 5]

It makes a difference

Mr. Patel thank you for being honest and a superb teacher. An extraordinary Coach and super CEO. Your wisdom and work model works. You are the best model to copy.
Thank you. 😊

[Jack Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Valuable resource!

Any leader, of any company, organization or agency can learn about uncovering the culture of your group.

It’s an amazing resource that should be in ever leader’s toolkit!

[Courtney Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book with great insights. The author does a tremendous job at describing how to cultivate a culture that provides true meaning and value.

[Kay Jarvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read and great culture ideas!

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author cites a lot of good source books and puts them into practice in some creative ways. An insightful book for entrepreneurs, even if you don't totally agree with his methods.

[Valerie Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible journey through what makes a culture work! I loved the practical tips and applications at the end of each chapter and have already started to implement several suggestions into my culture! Highly recommend!

[Regina Banks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read an average of 20 business books a year. This one did not disappoint. Patel was very conversational in his natural language approach and practical application points. I felt like I was sitting across a table in a coffee shop with him. A very rich and easy read.

He spoke with authority with methods that had been put to good use. I really like how the chapters include a "Your Turn" section for how to incorporate the methods into your own company culture. I am looking forward to putting things to work at the office and bringing my team together in a better way.

I believe my biggest takeaways were: 1) Onboarding process; 2) the GROW method for resolving challenges (goal, reality, options and what by when) and 3) Leaders go last. WOW! All of this from memory--I am not referencing the book right now. Proof that these concepts really resonated with me and will go with me in the future.

A good addition would be a workbook or even a workshop for business leaders. So many of the methods are very practical and can be incorporated and adjusted fit your culture. In the meantime, this is definitely a book that I will keep several on the shelves so that I can gift to other business leaders or those who oversee a team.