Work Shouldn’t Feel Like an Audition

Welcome back to The Moat.

If the last edition was about building personal leverage, this one’s about creating the kind of culture that makes people actually want to stay.

Because your biggest moat? It’s your team and how they feel showing up every day.

It’s 3:00 p.m., and I’m fried from back-to-back calls. The day is just pulling me along, and I feel like I haven’t stopped in hours.

At that moment, I get a Slack notification. Probably another “just looping you in” thread.

Instead, it turns out to be a meme. Hilarious, unnecessary, and completely pointless, but I laugh out loud. And for the first time, I feel like I’ve exhaled during the day.

That’s how work should feel.

Not forced. Not stiff. Not like you’re constantly tiptoeing around “professionalism.” Just… natural.

But here’s the thing—most workplaces don’t feel that way.

For a lot of people, work feels like a constant balancing act:

• Watching what you say.
• “Should I say this out loud?”
• Hiding parts of yourself to “fit in.”
• Thinking, “Will this make me sound too aggressive?”
• Feeling like you’re performing instead of actually working.

It’s exhausting. And it keeps people from doing their best work.

I have always felt people perform better when they feel comfortable being themselves.

When you build a culture where people can speak freely, show their personality, challenge ideas, and even laugh at something ridiculous on Slack—that’s when you get their best work.

It’s not about being casual for the sake of it. It’s about making sure people feel valued, trusted, and free to contribute without fear.

And if you’re an inclusive leader who cares about building that kind of culture, it’s worth asking:

Are you making work feel natural, or like an endless audition?

Let’s break down what actually works. And more importantly, what doesn’t.

The Workplace Culture Myth: Fun vs. Professionalism

I’ve worked at places where “fun” meant pizza Fridays and bean bags. Nice perks, sure. But perks aren’t going to help improve workplace culture.

Real fun at work isn’t about office freebies. It’s about how people feel when they show up. And here’s what I’ve learned: People do their best work when they feel safe enough to be themselves.

But most companies still believe:

• Fun and professionalism can’t coexist.
• Relaxed culture means lower productivity.
• Free coffee or bean bags don’t make up for silence during meetings.

Reality check? If people are more focused on watching what they say than doing their job, you’re not building a positive workplace culture. You’re running a corporate masquerade party.

At Pangolin, we try to keep things simple:

• People can speak their minds without fear.
• Everyone’s voice matters, regardless of title.
• We measure success by real work, not how serious you look on Zoom.

At the end of the day, culture is what happens when no one’s watching. And you don’t need perks for that.

Because if your team has to fake it to fit in, you’re never going to see their best work.

So, are you building a space where people feel free to contribute? Or just trying to maintain a certain image?

How Pangolin Built a Culture of Openness in a Remote Setup

Building a positive workplace culture remotely is tough, and honestly, sometimes it’s just plain isolating. There’s no casual coffee chat, no spontaneous brainstorming, no catching up in the hallway. And I’m not going to pretend we’ve cracked the code. But we’ve definitely learned a few things that seem to be working.

Here’s what we’re trying:

1. Making Culture Everyone’s Business We’ve got a Cultural Governance Office—two teammates elected to keep culture honest. They track things like No Calls Wednesday (80% adherence) and ending work on time (currently at 50%). Both get monitored weekly, and if someone slips? There's a fun CGO “punishment.” Light-hearted, but it keeps everyone aware and involved.

1. Cross-Team Brainstorms > Trophies Our Jams and Adda sessions are where teams from different functions come together to solve real problems. The goal? Thinking long-term, not just day-to-day. For example, “What if marketing had zero budget?” The solutions were wildly creative. Turns out, people get more excited solving challenges than winning awards. Ideathons > trophies.

1. Small Wins Deserve Loud Cheers Peer-to-peer recognition here is a daily thing. We use HeyTaco, that are peer shoutouts you can redeem for rewards. 90% of our team gives them out every day. Big wins, tiny fixes, everything is noticed. We’ve also got a merch store and a rotating CEO of the Day title. Appreciation that’s fun and actually feels real.

1. Ownership Is Earned, But Also Offered At Pangolin, the message is clear: Tell us your goal, and we’ll back you. If you want to lead something, step up. If you stumble, we’ll help you through it. Most people here think and act like owners because we trust them.

These small things seem to be making a difference. And if something works, we keep doing it.

How to Build a Culture Where People Feel Safe & Valued

I’ve realized something: building a good culture isn’t about getting it perfect. It’s about actually caring.

I don’t mean plastering “We care about our people” all over your website or dishing out generic compliments during performance reviews. I’m talking about the little, everyday moments that tell people they matter.

Like someone being able to say, “Yep, I messed up. Totally forgot that. My bad,” without fear. We cheer for the first mistake, critique it if it happens again, and reflect deeply using the RPV system. Blame never solves anything—it’s about growth.

And no, I’m not saying this is easy. In fact, improving workplace culture is messy. People are unpredictable. And what works today might not work a month from now.

But here’s what I do know:

• People do their best work when they feel safe, trusted, and seen.

• If they feel like they have to pretend to be someone else just to fit in, they’re not showing up as their best selves. And that’s a waste of everyone’s time.

• Recognition doesn’t have to be a grand gesture. A simple message that says, “I saw what you did, and it made a difference,” can be all it takes.

• Monthly reviews help us course-correct early. We ask four things: what you did well, where you messed up, where you need support, and what you want to learn. It keeps feedback flowing—before small irritations turn into big problems.

Every team is different. What works for us at Pangolin might not work for everyone, but the goal is always the same: to create a place where people can be themselves.

And surprisingly, as a remote organization, I’ve seen more real collaboration than I ever did in a physical office. Maybe because people feel heard. Maybe because they feel safe. Either way, it works.

Because when people feel comfortable showing up as they are, they do better work. And they enjoy the process a whole lot more.

That kind of culture? It becomes your moat. Not just for hiring, but for retention, resilience, and reputation.

So, what kind of workplace are you building, and is it strong enough to keep the right people in and help them thrive?