Shaping a company culture that ensures success: From vision to reality

Remember that meeting where a minor issue sparked a never-ending debate, and in the end, everyone forgot what they were arguing about? Or the hours spent discussing a new company strategy with no conclusion because every participant had compelling arguments?

These scenarios reflect a deeper issue – a lack of shared direction and values that guide decision-making, which is where a strong company culture comes in.

In this article, I’ll share how Hostinger has successfully built a company culture that aligns hundreds of employees on what really matters.

I hope this will inspire you to take your business to new heights by leveraging a strong and clear company culture that truly works. 

The core of success: Guiding principles  

For your business to run efficiently and effectively, employees must be aligned on key principles – how to prioritize tasks, communicate clearly, provide constructive feedback, and evaluate which projects will deliver the most value to the company. 

I know it’s easier said than done, but it’s absolutely achievable. Start by listing down your core business values – if you need inspiration, take a look at our 10 principles. Here is a full story on how and, most importantly, why we have developed Hostinger principles. Customer Obsession is one example, meaning that we always put customer needs first before making any major decisions or shifting company priorities. This focus empowers us to grow even faster in response to changing customer needs and market demands.

For example, once the AI trend emerged, we saw an unparalleled opportunity to boost our client experience. By 2023, we had launched the first iteration of our AI chatbot Kodee, allowing clients to receive answers and resolve issues in seconds. Today, after continuous iterations, our chatbot performs the work of 200+ people and communicates with clients in 50 languages, making it one of the most advanced tools on the market. 

In addition to delivering value for our clients, Kodee also creates opportunities for Hostinger employees to focus on making our products better: we analyze chats with Kodee to gather insights on how we can improve our products even further. 

Defining your own core values: A starting point 

When developing your core principles, keep two key factors in mind. First, consider the specifics of your business – its industry, niche, and unique selling points. Second, think about what will enable your rapid growth. This can include customer-centric innovation, scalable technology solutions, marketing campaigns, strategic partnerships, and more.  

If you run a local family restaurant known for simple yet delicious meals and a cozy children’s area, you might want to consider emphasizing your commitment to family-friendly dining as your core principles. This could include fostering a welcoming atmosphere and prioritizing fresh, locally sourced ingredients.

However, if you are selling digital services, attracting new customers might mean prioritizing principles that highlight innovation and responsiveness to client needs. This could involve showcasing your dedication to providing cutting-edge solutions and exceptional customer service, ensuring clients feel valued and supported throughout their experience. Starting backward from your business specifics will help you determine what culture is right specifically for your organization to truly unlock its growth. 

Your company principles can only be effective if they align with your day-to-day way of working. For example, if innovation is your core value, your workflows should be adaptable to change. If you preach ownership, people must have the autonomy to make decisions and execute them. 

Principles shouldn’t be just words on your office wall or website – they need to be woven into every step of the employee journey, from hiring and promotions to feedback and performance reviews. By embedding these principles into daily operations, you create a consistent culture where employees not only understand but actively live by the values that drive the company forward.

Turning principles into practice

Choosing the principle that is the most important for us was obvious: we genuinely care about our customers and encourage our employees to go above and beyond. 

Customer Obsession allows us to develop the best products, focusing on what truly matters to our clients. But simply telling employees to ‘go that extra mile’ isn’t enough.

Every Hostinger employee is encouraged to have Client Interviews. To ensure smooth preparation, we share a questionnaire that employees can follow. Obviously, the process doesn’t end here – we turn client feedback into actionable steps on how to improve our services. Check out what Kristina StrimaitÄ—, our Chief Marketing Officer, has to say about the impact of client interviews. 

Interviews and observations are valuable, but meeting our clients in person takes it a step further. Whether it is puppy yoga, a degustation, or an escape room, these live interactions give us a chance to meet the person behind the client’s name, get to know them and discuss their needs in an informal environment, and strengthen our team. We don’t limit this initiative to Lithuania or Indonesia – we try to meet our clients wherever we go – be it a business trip or a workation. 

However, for initiatives like this to succeed, employees need to feel encouraged to participate. Speak with your CEO, other C-level executives, and key stakeholders to lead by example. Show your team that it’s not only acceptable but beneficial to take time during the workday to connect with clients. 

Ensuring the space for growth

We understand that if we want our employees to go that extra mile for our customers, we must also go the extra mile for our people.

Today’s company culture goes beyond perks and benefits – it’s about how organizations contribute to human sustainability. The key question is: How do companies ensure they not only get the best from their people but also leave them better off than when they arrived? This means equipping employees with stronger skills, improving their well-being, and providing them with a compelling organizational purpose.

Organizations that invest in employee growth are setting themselves up for long-term success. It’s not just about retaining top talent – it’s about creating a culture where everyone thrives. Employees who feel supported in their personal and professional development are more engaged and motivated, which directly impacts the company’s performance.

At Hostinger, this philosophy is ingrained in our Employer Value Proposition (EVP): We’ll Grow Fast. It represents our commitment to fostering an environment where employees are encouraged to push boundaries and grow both personally and professionally. This creates a cycle of mutual growth: when our employees grow, Hostinger grows, and our clients benefit. 

Giving time and space to explore  

Research shows that nearly 80% of employees feel a stronger sense of purpose at work when they’re learning and developing. That’s why we take our Learn and be curious principle seriously. We also believe that curious people deliver more impactful results for our clients. Our offices are filled with books in prominent areas, and employees can request any book that would be beneficial to their development. It doesn’t have to be directly related to their role – we encourage learning in areas like leadership, time management, communication, and other valuable skills. 

Learning goes beyond just reading, so we actively support our employees in attending local and international conferences. In return, we ask them to share their insights with the rest of the team, spreading knowledge and sparking new ideas across the company. 

For those who prefer learning from home, access to various external learning platforms, memberships & subscriptions are available, including  CoachHub, Reforge, Pluralsight, TryHackMe and many more. Alongside these external opportunities, we also provide tailored internal programs, such as our Managers’ Academy, designed to meet our specific business needs. 

Managers also play a critical role in this learning culture. Based on employee feedback, they are the second-most important source of information at Hostinger. Managers lead by example, helping their teams develop skills and inspiring them to learn continuously. By sharing insights, experiences, and advice, they guide employees on what to focus on, ensuring that growth is always at the forefront of our company culture.

Finally, Learn and be curious can be combined with another core principle of ours: Freedom and responsibility. This August, we launched the Mastery Fridays initiative, where every employee dedicates Fridays to learning. What makes it special? Each employee gets to choose what they want to learn, giving them the freedom to pursue their own areas of interest. 

I believe that such an investment pays off in the long run – you can’t ask employees to be innovative without giving them time and space to explore.

Combining principles & ways of working

Principles are key to every company, and they must be built into existing ways of working. At Hostinger, we use the Objectives and Key Results framework (OKR) to plan each quarter strategically. Combined with our core principles, we create a powerful approach that drives company-wide success and empowers every employee to contribute meaningfully.

OKR planning is a thoughtful process that takes time and Focus. All teams are encouraged to dedicate sufficient time for OKR reflections, discussing what worked well and where improvements can be made. During OKR planning week, we recommend canceling all non-essential meetings, ensuring everyone stays focused solely on preparing for the upcoming quarter.

OKR goals aren’t set in stone. Mid-OKR reviews are conducted to assess progress and make adjustments if circumstances change. This flexibility allows us to stay ahead of industry trends, respond quickly, and uphold our Bias toward action principle – promoting a culture of action-oriented decision-making.

Every goal has a Directly Responsible Individual (DRI) responsible for driving the goal forward, reporting on progress, and developing the overall strategy. Such Ownership empowers employees with the freedom to pursue their goals while taking full responsibility for their outcomes and fostering personal and professional growth. 

Every company can have a winning culture

Your company culture is the driving force that can make your business innovative and profitable – or lead it toward failure. Ultimately, a company’s culture determines whether employees feel empowered to be creative and deliver results.

When employees thrive, they can become excellent ambassadors for your company. At Hostinger, we see this work really well with our people sharing their experiences on social media as well as referring their acquaintances to join us.

I am certain that our company culture played a major role in making Hostinger recognized as one of Europe’s fastest-growing companies for five years in a row. That’s because a healthy company culture aligns all of our people on what truly matters at Hostinger. It also helps make the right decisions fast in uncertain and ambiguous times. 

To me, that’s exactly what a good company culture does – alignment with the core values and integration of these values into your way of working.

If you haven’t yet started working on your company culture, I hope this article has inspired you to start. 

Do you want to experience our culture firsthand? Check out our open positions – you might be the perfect fit.