"This is a nice firm"

Zero - number of law firms I've had tell me "our culture is bad"

Countless - number of law firms I've had tell me "this is a nice firm"

Two - number of law firms who have said we actively manage poor behaviours that are unacceptable to us, and I've seen them follow through on that

"Culture eats strategy for breakfast" is an oft-cited Peter Drucker quote and, yes, an explicitly bad or toxic culture will absolutely undermine your strategy

But there's a quote from Gruenert and Whitaker I find more powerful:

"The culture of any organisation is shaped by the worst behaviour the leader is willing to tolerate"

"Nice" can mean conflict-avoidant, indecisive, tolerant

And that can mean tolerating some pretty poor behaviours, notably among the senior fee earners and partners "because they're under a lot of pressure", "but look at the money they bring in" and so on

It's in that tolerance that culture is eroded

I've been fortunate to work with, and for, countless nice firms over the years, and genuinely nice (not "nice"!)

But there are only two firms that have (a) said that they manage culture and (b) demonstrably do so by holding themselves to account against their values

"Nice" is passive

Culture needs to be actively managed and nurtured