The Joy of Finding Your Tribe: Why the Right Culture Unlocks Extraordinary Work

Photo by Vlad Hilitanu on Unsplash

By Karen Rudich, CEO of sherloc

(Inspired by my recent interview with Marie-Charlotte Rouzier)

After years working inside global banks and building companies from scratch, one lesson has stayed with me: people flourish when they’re surrounded by the right environment – with the right tribe.

This isn’t theory. It’s something I’ve seen and felt time and again. In fact, it was the golden thread running through my recent conversation with Marie-Charlotte. As I looked back at the transcript, I noticed how often I circled back to the same idea:

“There is no right or wrong when it comes to people – it’s about finding your tribe.”

And when people find the tribe that fits them? Something special happens. Not the loud, headline-grabbing kind of innovation, but the quieter magic that makes people braver, more curious, more collaborative, and proud of what they build together.

Great Cultures Don’t Force You In – They Bring You Out

I’ve experienced workplaces where values were written on posters, and others where values were simply lived. The difference is profound.

As I said in the interview:

“When you find your tribe – where you perform under those metrics – the best in you gets brought out.”

That’s what I hold onto. Because when culture is right, people don’t shrink. They grow. They share ideas. They challenge assumptions. They step into their strengths without hesitation. They trust the room enough to take risks.

There’s something deeply hopeful in that – the idea that work can be a place where people come alive, not just a place they endure.

Diversity Is the Seed of Innovation – Not a Buzzword

One of my favourite parts of the conversation was exploring how mixing skills, backgrounds, and experiences sparks creativity. For me, diversity isn’t a checkbox – it’s the heart of innovation.

“You need to mash up skills, backgrounds, cultures, age groups – everything – to drive innovation.”

I’ve seen it again and again: when people with different stories come together in a safe, curious space, ideas bloom. Every single time. It creates organisations that feel alive – energetic, inquisitive, forward-moving. And it makes work more joyful.

Every Environment Has Its Genius – It’s About Alignment

A moment that still makes me smile was when we compared innovative teams to military structures. Two very different worlds – and both brilliant in their own ways.

“If you put someone used to strict hierarchy into an innovative organisation without context… they’re not going to be comfortable.”

And that’s perfectly okay.

Every environment has its own genius. Cultures of ambiguity thrive on questions. Cultures of certainty thrive on clarity. The magic isn’t in choosing the “best” one – it’s in helping people find the environment where they feel grounded, capable, and energised. When that alignment happens, teams don’t just perform. They thrive. They become communities, not just collections of CVs.

Scaling Doesn’t Have to Mean Losing Your Soul

One of the misconceptions about growth is that structure kills creativity. From experience, I’ve seen the opposite.

“Structure… isn’t a barrier to growth. It can actually underpin it even more successfully.”

When values are strong, structure becomes a support beam, not a cage. It gives teams confidence, not constraints. It helps people contribute fully because they understand how the organisation moves.

That’s the hopeful truth about culture: scaling doesn’t mean losing your soul – it means reinforcing it. As long as you protect your essence and bring in people who resonate with it, growth amplifies rather than dilutes.

What This Means for the Work We’re Doing at sherloc

Building sherloc has reminded me of something I’ve believed for years: when teams feel safe, aligned, and energised, they make better decisions – and better decisions change everything.

One of the reasons I’m so proud of what we’re building is that our product reflects this philosophy. sherloc gives leaders clarity, confidence, and the space to operate as their best selves – instead of firefighting unknowns.

It’s the same idea I shared with Marie-Charlotte: create the right environment, and people rise. And UK SMEs deserve exactly that – spaces where their teams can experiment, collaborate, and innovate without fear. Where culture isn’t a performance, but a foundation.

That’s what gives me optimism about the future: in the right tribe, with the right values, people achieve extraordinary things.

And I feel genuinely grateful to be part of building one of those tribes every day.

Karen Rudich