LOVE & HONESTY

How do you scale a creative culture? Turns out it’s all about sticking to your founding principles. We sat down with co-founder Nicolai Stahl of Hjaltelin Stahl, one of the biggest and most recognized advertising agencies in the Nordics, that recently joined consulting behemoth Accenture.

Tell a little about the special Hjaltelin Stahl culture? When we started out the agency, Steffen and I (Steffen Hjaltelin ed.) both had a past from the danish newspaper Politiken. There we had both been encountered with the phrase Love and Honesty (translated from the Danish (k)ærlig). This became our credo, and encapsulated our founding belief that we wanted people without big ego’s, but with integrity and ambition. An organization filled with trust. Never afraid to discuss and have fights about what you believe in. We even did something quite un-Danish and made all employees sign a document stating they would act according to the belief. This insistence on having people who are both nice and talented actually makes it twice as hard to recruit.

Do you remember the first time you thought, there is a real creative culture here? Some time ago now, I was standing by the coffee machine, and a new young creative colleague stood next to me. She was clearly excited about her new job. She says hi and asks, what I was doing in the company? I’m a copywriter, I said. It was so refreshing to just feel her enthusiasm. Clearly drawn to the culture, not some name on the door. More recently the lockdown showed a creative and cultural vibrancy that was strong as ever, even with people working from the confines of their home offices.

What have you done to install the strong culture you have?

Apart from our values, we have always made a conscious choice to have these special markers throughout the year. This way we have traditions for our summer and Christmas party. We also have an annual ski trip. But perhaps more importantly the culture has also bred its own traditions and community aspects. Like our running club or rock band. Or even examples like the more work-specific tradition of sending an all agency email, when you have some unexpected free time, and then the reverse action of somebody else saying “haps” to secure the time. A sense of community, that makes me proud. Our culture is in large part nurtured and amplified through "cultural agents". These are exceptional employees who contribute and spread our culture as a ripple effect. Building a culture is really a team effort and we have at least a handful of people who are absolutely indispensable, and makes me look shy and introverted ;)

What has been the difference between being small, and now a 150 people strong company? As a smaller company, you are good at sensing the culture. When you grow it’s easier to lose track of the all-important “state of the company”.  

What do you do to counter that? We have a number of fixed routines that both serve a practical purpose, but also sense checks and balances the culture. Every Friday we have an all-company stand-up, where we encourage “the naughty question of the week” with a bottle of champagne. Questions that are often brutally honest and confrontational. Bi-annually we also gather everyone around the provocative question “what the hell is the point”. A chance to onboard newcomers to our culture, but also for everyone to keep embracing openness, curiosity, and an appetite for the new. We even have a “culture committee” that works independently from the leadership. Finally we have an anonymous employee measurement. Judging leadership from 1-5. 

How do you ensure the culture stays creative? Our overarching philosophy is called “logic and magic”. Our yin and yan of “high creativity” & “strong business understanding”. Having a clear purpose gives a common ground, and makes it easier for everyone to navigate. It’s true what they say, “culture eats strategy for breakfast”.

Any good tips for scaling a creative culture? You need to find your “Flag Days” special days that celebrate the company culture. But also weekly routines that reinforce the values continuously. And perhaps most importantly you have to acknowledge that you have a culture no matter what you do. Good or bad. It's up to you as a founder to make sure you lay the grounds for a positive and intentional culture. To use a popular modern analogy, you can say it’s a living organism like a sourdough culture, that needs constant nurturing. 

Any company cultures that have particularly inspired you? Like many creative leaders, I have studied the creative culture of Apple. More recently I’ve been involved with Samsung and seen their ceremonial competitive eating of an apple to start off all R&D meetings. One strong culture giving birth to another one, brilliant. Two Danish companies impress me in the way that their strong culture has kept their concepts strong through different times and ownership. I’m thinking of both Sticks’n’Sushi and Joe & The Juice. The first best symbolized with their “Irasshaimase” greeting and the latter with their ability to endlessly find young people with that special carefree, yet service-minded attitude. 

Any physical aspect of the office you have configured to creativity and community? The open kitchen and coffee area is the nerve in our office, where we have our big stand-up’s. Where we celebrate all birthdays. Where our community is thriving. 

Finally the coffee question - how do you drink your coffee? I’m either having an americano, or I like a noisette. For the ones not familiar with that latter, it’s sort of the French sister to the Italian macchiato - a single espresso with a dash of hot, foamy milk. 

We can add to Nicolai’s coffee routines, that the Hjaltelin Stahl coffee machines are running on the fantastic Yirgachefe coffee, and an espresso blend from Brazil, Guatemala, and Ethiopia.