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The Culture Playbook: 60 Highly Effective Actions to Help Your Group Succeed
What is great culture made of? How do you get more of it, or turn around a group that needs improving? In The Culture Playbook, Daniel Coyle delivers a field-tested guide for building strong, cohesive, high-performing groups.
Coyle, author of the New York Times bestselling The Culture Code , has spent the last six years studying and consulting with some of the most successful groups on the planet - including Pixar, Navy SEALS Team 6 and others. Here, he distils his findings into 60 concise, actionable, scientifically proven tips for building safety, generating trust, and establishing purpose - plus a set of conversation-igniting exercises to help you assess and improve your current culture.
The result is a book that will sharpen the skills of any leader and strengthen the cohesion of any team - because it demonstrates that great culture is not controlled by fate or luck; it's controlled by you.
Praise for The Culture Code
'A truly brilliant, mesmerising read that demystifies the magic of great groups. It blows all other books on culture right out of the water. Read it immediately.' Adam Grant, author of Originals
'An essential book that unlocks the secrets of highly successful groups and provides readers with a toolkit for building a cohesive, innovative culture.' Business Insider
Coyle, author of the New York Times bestselling The Culture Code , has spent the last six years studying and consulting with some of the most successful groups on the planet - including Pixar, Navy SEALS Team 6 and others. Here, he distils his findings into 60 concise, actionable, scientifically proven tips for building safety, generating trust, and establishing purpose - plus a set of conversation-igniting exercises to help you assess and improve your current culture.
The result is a book that will sharpen the skills of any leader and strengthen the cohesion of any team - because it demonstrates that great culture is not controlled by fate or luck; it's controlled by you.
Praise for The Culture Code
'A truly brilliant, mesmerising read that demystifies the magic of great groups. It blows all other books on culture right out of the water. Read it immediately.' Adam Grant, author of Originals
'An essential book that unlocks the secrets of highly successful groups and provides readers with a toolkit for building a cohesive, innovative culture.' Business Insider
240 pages, Paperback
Published May 5, 2022
201 people are currently reading
3220 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Coyle
53 books1,072 followersDaniel Coyle is the author of the upcoming book The Culture Code (January 2018). He is the New York Times bestselling author of The Talent Code, The Little Book of Talent, The Secret Race (with Tyler Hamilton), and other books. Winner (with Hamilton) of the 2012 William Hill Sports Book of the Year Prize, he is a contributing editor for Outside magazine, and also works a special advisor to the Cleveland Indians. Coyle lives in Cleveland, Ohio during the school year and in Homer, Alaska, during the summer with his wife Jen, and their four children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
March 28, 2022
"The Culture Paybook" describes itself as "60 Highly Effective Actions to Help Your Group Succeed" and it pretty much does what it says on the cover in that regard. And, with 60 tips, as they are called within the book, there are no doubt some that will resonate more than others. Some that will be more relevant, some that will seem like a bad fit. But, with 60 to choose from it's likely fair to say that most people will be able to find something that gives them an idea to work with.
For me, there were two big aspects of the book that I really liked. But first, a very minor niggle. Despite the headline note of it being about "your group" the book is essentially written as purely a corporate/business guide. It does draw in examples of professional sports teams and the constant favourite of any team building concept - the military. Which are ultimately still fairly corporate environments. People are still part of a group being paid to do a job. It's a small detail, but one that is worth considering at times. Many of the ideas can be used in other settings, more of that later, but the book talks about things like effective meetings and other corporate culture ideas.
Something I really did appreciate given the business focus was the effort to look at remote workers. Tips that are especially relevant to ensuring remote members of a group feel included were marked with a little WFH icon and there was a good proportion of ideas that looked at both fully remote and hybrid workplaces which I think does give a lot of the ideas here new life and relevance.
As good as that is, it underlines the way I think this book doesn't look hard enough at something it actually does pretty well - being relevant outside of business.
In truth, this book has many ideas that could potentially apply to any group even if they are only framed in terms of businesses. The remote workers? Many of us have family members who live considerable distances away. Now that video meetings and other remote work tools have become normalised, there is a place for them in other groups, such as families, too. And whilst some of the WFH tips may not be suitable for a remote family gathering, as someone who has lived and worked considerable distances from my closest family members, I can see how some of the thinking could have been used by us.
Another aspect that the book talks a lot about is a culture of safety. How people only share fears and concerns with people when they feel safe in the many ways that apply, and it does look at it in from accepting personal mistakes right through to societal and demographic issues. Again, this feels like a healthy update on the many business books written even a few years ago. But, despite being slightly less absolute in the business focus than the WFH tips, I also found myself thinking about other groups, especially families.
We have all heard nightmarish stories of dealing with in-laws, or awkward Christmas dinners as a relative you may have little in common with besides a family tie goes off on a subject that causes friction. Again, subjects that can be both very individual and personal, or relevant to the wider world such as politics. By considering some of the tips on how to ensure staff feel safe and accepted, perhaps spending time with our families could be more enjoyable.
This brings me back to that cover blurb about helping "Your Group". A number of these tips do apply to a wide array of groups. Essentially, any group that includes people who may not necessarily choose to be around each other, even in small subsets and minimal doses, could potentially take something away from the tips in the book. But they're essentially all presented as business tips. Sure, it's easier to get everyone in a group to take part in some activities when they're paid to be there, but if that aggressive relative could learn why they make people feel uncomfortable when criticising others' clothes/jobs/partners then why not give at least some tips a try?
Essentially, as with many similar books, the strength of the writing is really found in the interpretation of the reader. The difficulty that always arises is that those who would benefit most from the advice often struggle to see such books as anything other than a definitive set of rules.
As an example, early on the book brings up the, now somewhat cliched, "two pizza rule" for meetings. It carefully lays out that 6 is the maximum ideal number for a meeting. And then late in the book gives a number of exercises for groups of 8 or 10. Because adapting is an important tool too, possibly one of the most important in fact. If your group has 7 people would you really build a stronger culture by excluding someone to ensure you don't go over 6? Of course not. But when I look back at the group leaders I've encountered with the weakest cultures, I also realise that they would adopt that as a rigid rule no matter what.
Overall the book remains good, even the recommended exercises are well presented so that people like me who tend to dislike such things can quickly move on to the next section. I just feel that it sells itself short. It makes a bold proclamation that doesn't mention business, and then makes it all about work. It even offers a lot of ideas that can be used in the abstract manner it suggests, but it never fully embraces that potential. I feel I want to keep a number of these tips in mind going forward. Even if sometimes they're variations.
For me, there were two big aspects of the book that I really liked. But first, a very minor niggle. Despite the headline note of it being about "your group" the book is essentially written as purely a corporate/business guide. It does draw in examples of professional sports teams and the constant favourite of any team building concept - the military. Which are ultimately still fairly corporate environments. People are still part of a group being paid to do a job. It's a small detail, but one that is worth considering at times. Many of the ideas can be used in other settings, more of that later, but the book talks about things like effective meetings and other corporate culture ideas.
Something I really did appreciate given the business focus was the effort to look at remote workers. Tips that are especially relevant to ensuring remote members of a group feel included were marked with a little WFH icon and there was a good proportion of ideas that looked at both fully remote and hybrid workplaces which I think does give a lot of the ideas here new life and relevance.
As good as that is, it underlines the way I think this book doesn't look hard enough at something it actually does pretty well - being relevant outside of business.
In truth, this book has many ideas that could potentially apply to any group even if they are only framed in terms of businesses. The remote workers? Many of us have family members who live considerable distances away. Now that video meetings and other remote work tools have become normalised, there is a place for them in other groups, such as families, too. And whilst some of the WFH tips may not be suitable for a remote family gathering, as someone who has lived and worked considerable distances from my closest family members, I can see how some of the thinking could have been used by us.
Another aspect that the book talks a lot about is a culture of safety. How people only share fears and concerns with people when they feel safe in the many ways that apply, and it does look at it in from accepting personal mistakes right through to societal and demographic issues. Again, this feels like a healthy update on the many business books written even a few years ago. But, despite being slightly less absolute in the business focus than the WFH tips, I also found myself thinking about other groups, especially families.
We have all heard nightmarish stories of dealing with in-laws, or awkward Christmas dinners as a relative you may have little in common with besides a family tie goes off on a subject that causes friction. Again, subjects that can be both very individual and personal, or relevant to the wider world such as politics. By considering some of the tips on how to ensure staff feel safe and accepted, perhaps spending time with our families could be more enjoyable.
This brings me back to that cover blurb about helping "Your Group". A number of these tips do apply to a wide array of groups. Essentially, any group that includes people who may not necessarily choose to be around each other, even in small subsets and minimal doses, could potentially take something away from the tips in the book. But they're essentially all presented as business tips. Sure, it's easier to get everyone in a group to take part in some activities when they're paid to be there, but if that aggressive relative could learn why they make people feel uncomfortable when criticising others' clothes/jobs/partners then why not give at least some tips a try?
Essentially, as with many similar books, the strength of the writing is really found in the interpretation of the reader. The difficulty that always arises is that those who would benefit most from the advice often struggle to see such books as anything other than a definitive set of rules.
As an example, early on the book brings up the, now somewhat cliched, "two pizza rule" for meetings. It carefully lays out that 6 is the maximum ideal number for a meeting. And then late in the book gives a number of exercises for groups of 8 or 10. Because adapting is an important tool too, possibly one of the most important in fact. If your group has 7 people would you really build a stronger culture by excluding someone to ensure you don't go over 6? Of course not. But when I look back at the group leaders I've encountered with the weakest cultures, I also realise that they would adopt that as a rigid rule no matter what.
Overall the book remains good, even the recommended exercises are well presented so that people like me who tend to dislike such things can quickly move on to the next section. I just feel that it sells itself short. It makes a bold proclamation that doesn't mention business, and then makes it all about work. It even offers a lot of ideas that can be used in the abstract manner it suggests, but it never fully embraces that potential. I feel I want to keep a number of these tips in mind going forward. Even if sometimes they're variations.
November 1, 2023
72%
It's a good step by step guideline to say how you should grow your organization and make sure that it's resembles your values on a micro and macro scale.
The biggest takeaway here, is make sure that you listen to people learn from them and enact on decisions that the group tells you need to change.
It's a good step by step guideline to say how you should grow your organization and make sure that it's resembles your values on a micro and macro scale.
The biggest takeaway here, is make sure that you listen to people learn from them and enact on decisions that the group tells you need to change.
May 16, 2022
I think culture is one of the most important things in a workplace. I would be willing to make less money but work in a culture that values the same things that I do and with a team that I enjoy working with over making more money but being unhappy.
As a manager, I spend a lot of time thinking about culture at work and what are ways that we can continue to make it better for our work teams. I went into The Culture Playbook from this lens - looking for ways to continue to improve our work culture. I appreciated some of the lessons shared and activities - particularly when it comes to vulnerability. The biggest standout to me is that people think they should build trust and then can show vulnerability when it's really the reverse and showing that vulnerability is how we work to build trust as a team.
I think this is a book that is probably best used as a source to dip back into over time and try different actions. Reading it straight through felt repetitive at times but I don't think that's really the best way to use this resource. I also appreciated that the book made a point to call out hybrid and remote strategies as well as more typical in person actions.
Thank you to Bantam for the advance reading copy.
As a manager, I spend a lot of time thinking about culture at work and what are ways that we can continue to make it better for our work teams. I went into The Culture Playbook from this lens - looking for ways to continue to improve our work culture. I appreciated some of the lessons shared and activities - particularly when it comes to vulnerability. The biggest standout to me is that people think they should build trust and then can show vulnerability when it's really the reverse and showing that vulnerability is how we work to build trust as a team.
I think this is a book that is probably best used as a source to dip back into over time and try different actions. Reading it straight through felt repetitive at times but I don't think that's really the best way to use this resource. I also appreciated that the book made a point to call out hybrid and remote strategies as well as more typical in person actions.
Thank you to Bantam for the advance reading copy.
July 3, 2022
Another top book from Daniel Coyle. Builds from ‘The Culture Code” Into easy digestible tips and tools you can use with your group.
@booksforcoaches
@booksforcoaches
June 13, 2022
The Culture Playbook was fun reminder of how trying different actions can help your group to succeed. I spent over 25 years facilitating management training on situational leadership. While many of the points weren't new, the book was a great reminder on how important it is to put thought in bringing your group together and ensure that your values are what they value.
Positives from this book:
* Personally I liked the post meeting/project reflection section the best. The action step/case study ideas were something that most organizations should use.
* Good job on the activities and questions that were used as a springboard for conversations and self reflection.
Possible Improvements:
* I would have liked a section on how employees should view their organization as their own business.
* The section on building racial equality and inclusion felt like it fell from the sky. Certainly a topic that is important in today's world, it just didn't seem to go anywhere in this particular book.
Overall, a fun "quick" read filled with quick and easy ideas to jump-start conversations. Thank you Ballantine Bantam Dell Publicity and Daniel Coyle for the advance copy.
Positives from this book:
* Personally I liked the post meeting/project reflection section the best. The action step/case study ideas were something that most organizations should use.
* Good job on the activities and questions that were used as a springboard for conversations and self reflection.
Possible Improvements:
* I would have liked a section on how employees should view their organization as their own business.
* The section on building racial equality and inclusion felt like it fell from the sky. Certainly a topic that is important in today's world, it just didn't seem to go anywhere in this particular book.
Overall, a fun "quick" read filled with quick and easy ideas to jump-start conversations. Thank you Ballantine Bantam Dell Publicity and Daniel Coyle for the advance copy.
August 10, 2024
A super quick read that has some good nuggets of how you may pick the brains of your team, be it in person or virtually. There are some exercises and activities that any group can do given the time to come together and making sure you set the tone of the meeting right away, what the goals are, the whys. I like the journal aspect of this book as well, easy to make quick notes for later use or use the whole page to share with your team to get their personal opinions. In particular I pulled the "circle of trust" activity where you list everyone you work closely with, then put their names/initials in a circle around YOU, listing these relationships as most safe, the closest to you, to the least in the farthest circle away from you.
If you're looking for brainstorming, group session work that elevates your team, spend a couple hours perusing this book. Easily finished in one sitting, a very nice flow throughout the book.
Rated just 3 stars because it's hard to give ratings to self-help/motivation books, especially when it's in the layout of journaling + flash tips. Neither great nor bad, just depends on how you want to implement these ideas within your own culture.
If you're looking for brainstorming, group session work that elevates your team, spend a couple hours perusing this book. Easily finished in one sitting, a very nice flow throughout the book.
Rated just 3 stars because it's hard to give ratings to self-help/motivation books, especially when it's in the layout of journaling + flash tips. Neither great nor bad, just depends on how you want to implement these ideas within your own culture.
January 5, 2026
What I took away from this book were almost one hundred ways to improve my effectiveness in a professional setting by better receiving feedback, improving myself, improving my relationship with others, and more. Here are my favorite quotes he highlighted in the book:
“Example is not the main thing influencing others; it is the only thing.” – Albert Schweitzer
“A leader’s real authority is a power you voluntarily give him, and you grant him this authority not with resentment or resignation but happily.” – David Foster Wallace
If there is one thing to take away from this book, it is what he recommended one should ask before and after starting a task:
After a task is finished, ask:
What went well?
What didn’t go well?
What are we going to do differently next time?
Before starting a project, ask:
What are our intended results?
What challenges can we anticipate?
What have we or others learned from similar situations?
What will make us successful this time?
Overall, excellent book and a must read.
“Example is not the main thing influencing others; it is the only thing.” – Albert Schweitzer
“A leader’s real authority is a power you voluntarily give him, and you grant him this authority not with resentment or resignation but happily.” – David Foster Wallace
If there is one thing to take away from this book, it is what he recommended one should ask before and after starting a task:
After a task is finished, ask:
What went well?
What didn’t go well?
What are we going to do differently next time?
Before starting a project, ask:
What are our intended results?
What challenges can we anticipate?
What have we or others learned from similar situations?
What will make us successful this time?
Overall, excellent book and a must read.
June 23, 2022
Having worked many lame corporate jobs, I certainly wish more people would actually read, and most importantly, actually IMPLEMENT some of these ideas into the work place. Oftentimes it's the "managers" who care the least and make disingenuous attempts of building "culture". This book has several good tips for those who do care, and do wish to actually make real positive changes in their work environments. I can appreciate this book for that reason as most seemed helpful, even if some could appear fake in practice. When it comes to culture, there's a big difference between doing something because you actually want to and feel it's truly right vs. doing something just because you "think" it's the right thing to do and your only motivation is to appear as if you did the "right" thing.
Now to everyone who read or reads this book, your big challenge is to go out there and actually IMPLEMENT these in real life and make your fellow coworkers less miserable!
Now to everyone who read or reads this book, your big challenge is to go out there and actually IMPLEMENT these in real life and make your fellow coworkers less miserable!
March 15, 2022
If you work in any organization or work on any team, mark your calendars for May 3, 2022 to buy this book! I often write that I measure how much value I received from a business book by how many notes I took. In this case it's by the fact that I highlighted 61 concepts that I will be adding to my toolbox for the work I do with teams. I have received great value from all of Daniel Coyle's books I have read and I was a bit hesitant that this one would be too repetitive or too light. I was wrong! It ignores all of the background and research and focuses on providing tactical concepts and activities that anyone can use immediately. The research and science is important and he and others have covered that in many books. This book is different and it is very well done!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an early release in exchange for a fair an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an early release in exchange for a fair an honest review.
October 27, 2023
I really enjoyed Coyle's original book 'The Culture Code', which looks at ways to help build and manage productive, high performing teams - so was looking forward to this one. This is laid out in the form of short chapters which provide specific ideas to work around, in a concise, actionable way. However, while it was useful and stimulating, a lot of it covered the same ground as Culture Code, and there was a chunk of space dedicated to empty lines to be used in a workshop, which just seemed to take up space. The additional content was often very specific, to hybrid teams and/or dealing with racial diversity specifically - which wasn't as applicable as the original. Overall I still took value from this and think it's worth a read for those who may be stretched for time, but in many ways this is just a condensed version of The Culture Code - and you'd be as well reading the OG.
Read
April 26, 2022The Culture Playbook builds on Daniel Coyle’s earlier book, The Culture Code, defining 60 concise, actionable, scientifically proven tips for developing great groups.
So, if you wish to develop greater group cohesion and safety, generate much higher levels of trust and be more transparent on purpose, I highly recommend this book.
As an additional bonus, Daniel also offers a set of conversation starters and exercises that will help you assess and improve your current team culture.
As Stephen Covey once said, reading The Culture Playbook will help you sharpen your saw. You, the leader, control great culture, and Daniel Coyle shows you how! The culture you have comes from the actions you take. Here’s a great book to help you work out where you need to improve.
So, if you wish to develop greater group cohesion and safety, generate much higher levels of trust and be more transparent on purpose, I highly recommend this book.
As an additional bonus, Daniel also offers a set of conversation starters and exercises that will help you assess and improve your current team culture.
As Stephen Covey once said, reading The Culture Playbook will help you sharpen your saw. You, the leader, control great culture, and Daniel Coyle shows you how! The culture you have comes from the actions you take. Here’s a great book to help you work out where you need to improve.
June 7, 2022
I'm pretty sure I meant to put The Culture Code on hold at the library, but got this related book instead. A nicely compact skim that I imagine covers the broad strokes of The Culture Code. Consists of a bunch of tips separated into reasonable sections. I don't think it's that useful unless you're in a position of leadership in your team/org, and some of the tips do seem hokey, but there's enough tips that there's bound to be useful ones for most situations. Overall, not disappointed that I skimmed it, but also not actively useful for me either.
March 4, 2023
I definitely enjoyed the principles and actions distilled down into one playbook. These actions were still conceptually related to the areas of culture building introduced in The Culture Code. The stories overlapped more than I would have liked, and there was a degree of repeated content between books. Overall, it’s definitely a high-value read as you’ll be able to take advantage of the recommendations in your culture or group.
April 19, 2024
Il faudrait plus de livre comme celui-ci. Il contient des pistes de solution de gestion des équipes en entreprises pour des gestionnaires ou des consultants.
Le livre The Culture Code était intéressant pour son cadre théorique, mais il ne contenait que des anecdotes à propos d'exemples en entreprises appuyant la théorie de l'auteur. Dans ce livre, l'auteur présente 60 outils concrets qu'il a relevé dans des entreprises. Un livre de référence.
Le livre The Culture Code était intéressant pour son cadre théorique, mais il ne contenait que des anecdotes à propos d'exemples en entreprises appuyant la théorie de l'auteur. Dans ce livre, l'auteur présente 60 outils concrets qu'il a relevé dans des entreprises. Un livre de référence.
September 17, 2022
This book had some great tips and ideas to implement in a team environment. It is timely in its' suggestions for improving culture in a time when our world is hurting on so many levels.
it is meant to be a playbook and I am feeling like I need more and need to visit this author's culture code as well.
it is meant to be a playbook and I am feeling like I need more and need to visit this author's culture code as well.
June 13, 2024
Very inspiring and actionable. After reading the book, I feel like going back and thinking about how to apply each of the tips at work.
And luckily, I am going to get to do just that – as a place to work in, Futureplay is cool like that: we think about ways of working and take things like culture building very seriously :)
And luckily, I am going to get to do just that – as a place to work in, Futureplay is cool like that: we think about ways of working and take things like culture building very seriously :)
March 21, 2022
This book was an easy to read crash course into 60 important steps to get great culture. It doesn't go in depth in any one area, more just a best practices book that can be easy to get good ideas from. Worth the quick read for sure.
June 28, 2022
“The only thing of real importance that leaders do is create and manage culture. If you don’t manage culture, it manages you.” - Edgar Schein
This book partners with Daniel Couple’s earlier book, The Culture Code. It includes practical exercises to improve your group’s culture.
This book partners with Daniel Couple’s earlier book, The Culture Code. It includes practical exercises to improve your group’s culture.
November 6, 2022
I happened across this book after a particularly tough week at work. I really enjoyed the examples and suggestions. It was a simple read with practical application.
Next I've got the main book The Culture Code, which I'm hoping will add even more value.
Next I've got the main book The Culture Code, which I'm hoping will add even more value.
November 8, 2022
great book to read in a manager or decision maker role! was a relatively quick read— i was loving the format of reading a few sections each morning for a quick by satisfying start to the day. enjoyed that it seems well researched.
December 20, 2022
This is formatted in workbook style, so I would recommend reading first.
The playback contains all the keypoints of examples and quotes written in along with relevant guides and questions.
The playback contains all the keypoints of examples and quotes written in along with relevant guides and questions.
April 22, 2022
Wonderful book
April 28, 2022
Very practical and easy to read. Many ideas for interactions with your teams to foster a safer environment and spur innovation.
June 8, 2022
This is the simplest most straightforward guide to org culture health. As a result I find it a fantastic starting point, and possibly the only book you'd need on the topic.
June 19, 2022
Lots of helpful great ideas. This book Is in a ideas/ workbook format- quick read lots of good content
Thanks
Thanks
June 27, 2022
Good follow up to Culture Code with a lot of great activities to run with your team. Only downside is there is not much new content and caught a typo.
July 15, 2022
4.5. Practical ideas for working and developing culture in teams.
August 12, 2022
A quick and easy read but definitely with a lot of really great tips and leaves you with a lot to reflect on. Really excited to start implementing some of this in the team!
August 17, 2022
Super practical and seeded with stories from successful culture first companies - great follow on from the Culture Code, so much to take away from this book!
September 19, 2022
Worth considering, even if you do these actions by intuition. Not rocket science.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews