There’s a famous Cherokee myth about good and evil. As it goes.. 

An old man was teaching his grandson about life.

“There’s a battle going on inside every human heart,” he said, “between the good wolf and the evil wolf.”

“Grandfather,” the child says, “Which wolf wins in the end?

“The one you feed,” says the grandfather.

It's a lovely, poignant story about human nature.

It’s also a meaningful story about how company culture works. 

There’s a battle going on inside every organization too, you see. 

The battle of what you want to represent, and who you want to be. As long as you comply with the law, the choice is more or less yours. If you want an aggressive “macho-bro" atmosphere, go right ahead. A more touchy-feely, open floor plan, that’s fine too. Culturally speaking, nobody’s going to tell you what to do. Yes, there are clear paths to winning and losing, but you have to decide for yourself what kind of company you want to be.

Which wolf you want to feed.

Whatever you do decide, this will affect the company culture profoundly. Choose wisely.

We were reminded of this story while listening to Luke Burgis, a successful biotech entrepreneur, and author who was recently interviewed on the Knowledge Project #138 about his new book: “Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life”. An insightful listen.