Don't Build an American Culture (...or an Argentinian One)

Companies start hiring globally and think they have two choices:

1. Export their American way of doing things

2. Bend over backwards to accommodate local work norms they encounter.

Both approaches are wrong.

The "American model" crashes the moment your American directness meets your Filipino team.

Ever had someone say "yes" to a request, when in fact, they had zero freaking clue what the task was? That's this!

What sounds decisive in NYC sounds like being rude and brutish in Manila.

But the opposite is also wrong!

You are not a Filipino company - so you shouldn't act like one either.

Someone asks about 13th month bonuses because "that's how we do it in the Philippines."

Well-meaning managers say "sure, when in Rome..."

Next thing you know your Brazilian team expects meal vouchers, and your Indian team wants to know if they get Diwali off, and you are shuffling dozens of local holiday schedules a month.

Here's what we learned at Sagan:

You're not building American culture.

You're not building Filipino culture.

You're not building an Argentinian culture.

You're building Sagan culture (or insert your company name).

When that question about 13th month bonuses comes up, here's what I say: "No, of course not. I'm happy to pay you a 13th month bonus if you'd like me to pay you like local Philippine jobs—around $300 a month. But I pay you $1,200 a month instead, and don't pay a 13th month."

Not American. Not Filipino. Sagan.

We don't do local customs because we don't pay local rates, we don't have a stuffy hierarchy, and we don't put mouse trackers on your computer.

We do something WAY better.

We create our own customs that make sense for a global remote team from dozens of countries.

This means being less direct than pure American culture demands, but more direct than some cultures expect.

It means creating clarity without being harsh.

It means establishing our own rhythms and rituals that don't belong to any one country.

Good work, fair pay, professional development and clear expectations.

The magic happens when you stop trying to be culturally neutral (impossible) or culturally comprehensive (exhausting) and start being culturally INTENTIONAL.

What does that look like? Well it varies by company.

We've been working to define our version at Sagan - but everyone's answer will be different!

When you hire globally, you're not managing 20 different cultures. You're creating ONE new culture that takes the best parts of global talent and creates something that didn't exist before.

That's harder than copying what works in NYC. But it's also more honest, more scalable, and way more interesting.

Stop trying to be everything to everyone. Start being something specific to the people who choose to work with you.

Yallah Habibi,

Jon

The reviews for Sagan keep coming: