How Scaling a Business Dilutes Its Core Culture

Jan de Vries · 2026-09-23

I recently sat down with Erik Vermeulen, a behavioral strategist with a fascinating twist to his expertise. For over 20 years, he's advised companies on culture and leadership through his firm, Ridgeline Consulting. But his perspective isn't just from the boardroom; it's forged from years of leading real-life expeditions through deserts and up mountains, where the stakes are as real as they come. That blend of high-stakes adventure and corporate strategy gives him a unique lens. He's spent his career figuring out how people make decisions when the pressure's on, what truly makes a team click, and why a company's culture can fade just as it starts to grow. In our conversation, we dug into what navigating literal uncharted territory can teach us about running a business in uncertain times. We also explored why your best teams might not be what you think, and the hidden trap that rapid growth sets for your company's soul. ### What Adventure Leadership Teaches Us About Business Uncertainty "One of the biggest challenges today is how we handle uncertainty," Erik began. "Years ago, writing about using adventure to build teams, we had to define what 'adventure' even meant." He explained that for the longest time, people thought adventure was about specific, grand acts—like summiting a peak. "But we realized," he said, "adventure is any undertaking where the outcome is uncertain. That's life. That's business." We often build routines and structures to hide from that fact, to create a sense of control. But the truth is, we have no guarantee about tomorrow's sales targets or next quarter's team. "When I lead a group across a desert," Erik shared, "the uncertainty is palpable. That's why I see adventure as such a powerful way to understand leadership and team behavior. It strips away the illusion of control." ### The Two Secrets of Truly High-Performing Teams So, what separates a group of all-stars from a genuine, high-performing unit? Erik pointed to two key things. First, it's all about culture—the unwritten rules. "Great teams are crystal clear on what's tolerated and what's not," he stated. "They know which behaviors move them toward their goal and which ones pull them away." His second point was more surprising. "Great teams know where they start and where they end," he explained. Corporate teams often just grind on endlessly, chasing one target after another. - Truly great teams define a specific goal. - They follow the process to achieve it. - Then, they reset. They have a defined beginning and end before moving to the next challenge. That cyclical nature, he argues, is crucial for sustained performance. ### Why Growth Is the Silent Killer of Company Culture This is where things get tricky for scaling businesses. "Every organization has a growth metric," Erik noted. "They want to be bigger, better, sell more. And that's where the cultural problem often begins." He used a simple metaphor to explain it: think of your company culture as a strong cordial, a concentrated flavor. Your initial, close-knit team is that potent syrup in a small glass. Growth means you have to pour that syrup into a much bigger pitcher. You're adding more water—new people, new processes, new layers. The flavor, your core culture, gets diluted. It's still there, but it's not nearly as strong or distinctive as it once was. Leaders scaling their companies need to watch for this dilution effect. The rituals that bonded a team of ten don't translate to a company of a hundred. The informal communication that once drove innovation gets lost in departmental silos. The very thing that made you unique becomes a faded memory if you don't actively concentrate it anew. The lesson isn't to avoid growth, but to grow intentionally. You have to find ways to recreate that concentrated cultural 'flavor' at scale, to instill those unwritten rules in every new hire, and to build teams that know how to start, finish, and reset together. Because without that core, you're just a bigger glass of water.