Culture Is Who You Fire — Not Who You Hire with Kseniia Romaniuta | The Culture Engine Ep.02
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YouTubeThis interview was recorded in Ukrainian, and we are intentionally keeping it in Ukrainian to support Ukrainian HR, People, and Communications professionals working with teams inside corporations. You can switch the subtitle language and we will publish key insights + an English translation on the podcast page. In this episode, we go deep into what organizational culture really is — beyond slogans and values written on a wall. Kseniia shares a practical, experience-based view on culture across industries (industrial, retail, IT product & services) and offers concrete guidance for leaders and HR professionals who want to build teams that perform in a changing world. You’ll hear about:
Culture as a set of decisions: who we hire, promote, keep, and how we let people go
Why “stated values” often differ from “real values”
Why culture should be built with the CEO/founder, not delegated only to HR
How to influence culture even when leadership isn’t driving it
How LEGO and Airbnb used authenticity to survive turbulence
Hiring for values: practical questions for candidates and hiring managers
The underrated topic: leader energy/resource — and why it shapes everything
Key Insights
Effective leadership begins with understanding your own values, strengths, and weaknesses. This self-awareness enables leaders to better understand, accept, and work with others.- Modern leadership favors dialogue over control. By creating space for team members to speak and contribute, leaders build trust, engagement, and stronger collaboration.
- When managers share their opinions too early, they can unintentionally shape the conversation and limit diverse input. Allowing others to speak first encourages more authentic and varied ideas.
- Culture is defined by actions, not statements. It is reflected in who is hired, promoted, retained, or let go—and how those decisions are made.
- Keeping a toxic high performer signals that results matter more than values. It reveals whether an organization truly prioritizes people or performance at any cost.
- A conscious and honest culture supports growth by aligning values with actions. Problems arise when there is a gap between what is stated and what is practiced.
- Culture must be driven by leadership, especially the CEO or founder. Without top-level involvement, cultural change will not scale or sustain.
- Use data to make the case. Combine internal surveys with external research on trust, fairness, and communication to demonstrate their impact on performance.
- Start at the team level. Build a safe, supportive micro-culture within your team that people can rely on daily.
- Hiring decisions directly impact a leader’s energy and effectiveness. If someone is not a fit, it is better to act early, as managing a misfit can drain focus from high-impact priorities.
About the Guest
Kseniia Romaniuta
Certified HR & Employer Branding strategist
