Via Lenny’s Podcast

“I think this is true for anybody changing from one major culture to another: most likely the new place hired you because of the values of the organization you left, but not the behaviors. I think it’s important to kind of recalibrate. […]

So [coming from] Apple: attention to detail, product excellence, you know, doing everything you can for the customer and the user. Try to hold on to those values, but then think, “Okay, how are those values best expressed in this culture?” […]

I think that’s useful for anybody leaving one very specific culture and going someplace else: try to hold on to the values but not the behaviors.

— 35 years of product design wisdom from Apple, Disney, Pinterest and beyond | Bob Baxley, at 8:13

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Design leader Bob Baxley describes his unsuccessful stint at Pinterest as “bouncing off the culture.” He went directly from Apple on a Friday to Pinterest on Monday without recalibrating.

“I came in thinking I was supposed to behave the way I behaved at Apple, which is very direct, fighting hard… it’s intense. And that’s not really where Pinterest was at the time.”

The key insight: new companies hire you for your values, not your behaviors. Pinterest wanted Apple’s design values (attention to detail, product excellence, customer focus) but not Apple’s behavioral intensity. Bob notes that Pinterest had posters saying “Say the hard thing” in every conference room—something that you wouldn’t see at Apple because nobody there needed that kind of reminder.

When changing companies, especially from strong cultures like Apple, Google, or Amazon:

• Hold onto your core values (what you believe in)
• Shed your old behaviors (how you act on those beliefs)
• Give yourself time between roles to “decompress” from the old culture
• Observe how values are expressed differently in the new environment

Bob believes he succeeded at ThoughtSpot partly because he gave himself time to adapt before starting at the new role.