Laura Love, is the Founder and Chief Cultural Officer of GroundFloor Media, Inc., which has been recognized four times by OUTSIDE magazine as one of the top five Best Places to Work in America (including twice at No. 1). Laura joins Jim and Jan in a discussion about building a startup around a vision of shared values and culture, and shares leadership basics learned over the years that have given her company an attrition rate of 2 percent (the metric). Key Takeaways [2:21] Laura believes that investing time in the hiring process, including informal meetings, helps discover if a candidate will be a good fit. Immediate and thorough onboarding brings a new associate into the culture and teaches them the values. It is essential for associates to feel welcome and wanted. [5:08] Laura wants people to feel that the company is a family that always has each other’s back. Extending the family to their clients means getting to know them on a personal level. Feedback to clients comes from a place of integrity and support. [6:30] Laura started GroundFloor Media from her basement, and she wanted to design a company where people were treated like human beings and where people actually wanted to work because it didn’t feel like work. [12:58] Laura finds that being personally open and vulnerable with her team allows her team to be open with her when they are going through difficulties. [14:13] Laura hires based on values. She has filled her company with people who embrace the same values and culture so she knows they will make the decisions she would make if she were present. [18:34] People remember the words you speak and the feeling behind them. If a leader is not aligned with the words they speak, people will notice. Be intentional and be aligned with what you say. [26:36] Laura depends on peer groups, and meets quarterly with a forum and checks in with them monthly. She has a ‘painful 7:00 a.m. accountability call’ each week with a peer, where they share experiences, not advice. Laura offers three reasons to get involved. It can be lonely at the top, so feedback advisors are crucial. You are in this together and learn from each other. Your forum is loyal. [29:57] Laura has one-on-one walking meetings to give associates space to unpack their dreams for her. Then she empowers them to work on that development ideal for four weeks and report back to her. [32:25] Laura puts an emphasis on hiring people who are smart and able to go create and to make decisions. Laura’s entrepreneur father taught her to do business on a handshake. Use contracts but business should be based on trust and respect, and with people whose company you want to keep. To make the business world better, deal with people you like and respect. We all work harder because of it.   Website: GroundFloorMedia.com LinkedIn: Laura Love Twitter: @LoveGFM Facebook: LoveGFM Quotable Quotes   “Culture is like a heartbeat. You can really feel it when you walk into a room of any company that has a strong culture.”   “We are a family, … we have each others’ back, and that extends to our clients, as well. We are part of their family.”   “I knew that I knew how to do PR. I never imagined owning a company.”   People who see the silver lining in every situation can learn from bad experiences and apply the good in new circumstances.Unless you are open and vulnerable and allow people to support you in your journey, they will not engage with you when they go through trials.   “If you hire correctly and you hire based on values, then it doesn’t matter as much that you’re not in the room, anymore.”   Much of leadership is about hiring the right people and creating a culture where it’s very intentional but organic.   Culture is set from the top but if it’s only a mandate from the top and it’s not embraced, it will never flourish.   People remember the words you speak and the feeling behind them. If a leader is not aligned with the words they speak, people can sense that.   Leaders give takeaways.