Why Scaling Should Feel Like Getting Better

We were sat at a recent Board meeting discussing the careful balance between scaling the business to meet the increasing challenges and opportunities of our work, and the collective love we all feel for the special culture we’ve cultivated at Oxygen Conservation. Then, in his typically insightful way, our wonderfully wise Head of People, Andrew, looked up and asked: "Why do people always assume scaling a business will make the culture worse?"

Silence followed—not the awkward kind, but the rare kind that signals a collective realisation. Andrew, once again, had named a quiet truth hiding in plain sight. Why indeed would we assume that scaling must erode culture?

In every other part of the business, we strive to attack challenges head-on, to improve relentlessly. We don’t settle. We don’t play safe. So why consider protection over enhancement when it comes to our culture? Why default to defence when our entire ethos is rooted in boldness?

This moment sparked a deeper reflection, and it became clear: our story is not one of cultural compromise, but of cultural ambition. This is the story of why and how we believe scaling should enhance, not erode, organisational culture—because that’s exactly what we’ve done at Oxygen Conservation.

The Culture Advantage: Scaling Boldly Without Losing Your Soul

The common business narrative goes like this: As companies scale, culture suffers. Growth becomes the villain. Expansion dilutes values. Process replaces passion. But what if this wasn’t inevitable? What if scaling wasn’t the enemy of culture but an opportunity to make it even better? What if growth could actually serve as an accelerator for culture, intensifying, shaping, and strengthening it with each new phase of development?

At Oxygen Conservation, we’ve chosen a different path. One that sees culture not as a relic to protect but a force to project. If we don’t settle for mediocrity in our environmental and social ambition, why would we accept cultural stagnation as the cost of progress? We’re building something deliberately different—a conservation company delivering positive impact faster than tradition thinks possible, and a culture growing even stronger in the process.

The Myth of Cultural Deterioration in Scaling

Many leaders treat culture like glass—delicate, breakable, easily lost in the turbulence of (often too) rapid hiring and change. But this fear-driven thinking creates the very conditions it dreads: rushed recruitment, compromised standards, and a culture of compromise. The deeper issue is a belief that culture is inherently fragile, when in truth, it is one of the most evolutionarily resilient and adaptive forces in a company’s DNA—capable of maturing, morphing, and strengthening in step with the business it serves.

It’s not just operational; it’s psychological. Scarcity mindsets fuel defensive strategies. Leaders worry about losing what made them special, so they cling to the present instead of designing the future. Diversity of thought becomes a risk rather than a resource. The moment you fear cultural change, you start hiring for sameness, and sameness stifles innovation. You build echo chambers instead of ecosystems of ideas. If you seek to protect as opposed to enhance, you're already moving backwards. 

Culture, like any living system, isn’t preserved by stasis. It’s elevated by evolution. Scaling isn’t a cultural hazard; it’s a cultural opportunity. But only if you're bold enough to embrace change with purpose.

Oxygen Conservation’s Experience: A Contrarian Perspective

From day one, we’ve had cultural ambition. Not just to do good work, but to build a team that feels different. We wanted to prove that professionalism and personality could coexist, and that a mission-driven culture could be magnetically compelling.

We’ve always said we don’t want lots of people—we want lots of impact. Our ambition isn’t headcount; it’s positive environment, social and economic impact. Each person we bring in must raise the bar, not just meet the standard. Our hiring is less about filling gaps and more about expanding potential. We ask: how will this person make us better?

We’re building a team of adventurous, environmentally obsessed, mission-driven rebels who challenge each other and elevate the whole. Every addition must make us better in a meaningful way. Every hire is a cultural multiplier, never just a box ticked.

Raising the Bar: High Performance, Elite Performance or Performing Elsewhere

When we first opened roles, we were stunned with the hundreds of applications. Now? Thousands. And not just any applicants—top-tier minds from elite institutions, unconventional paths, and passionate corners of the conservation world. The brand we’ve built around mission and authenticity has attracted people who want more than a job—they want purpose.

We often ask ourselves, “Would our earliest team members get hired today?” Not as a critique, but a celebration of how far we've come. It’s not about loyalty to the past; it’s about commitment to the future. Every year, we must raise the bar—better systems, sharper processes, stronger brand, broader reach. We must constantly reassess what excellent looks like.

Because here’s the truth: every good business is a recruitment business. And as a founder, it’s your job to lead that charge. Culture is shaped at the point of entry, and talent is your most scalable lever for impact.

Culture Fit: Hiring for the Future, Not the Present

Too many organisations hire for today. We don’t. We hire for tomorrow. For the version of Oxygen Conservation that doesn’t exist yet but should. Candidates need to fit the aspirational culture—not just the current one.

That means we’re not looking for people who “fit in.” We want people who stretch us—who challenge our assumptions, bring new dimensions, and leave us better. We call it CULTure for a reason: it’s intentional, intense, and unlike anything else. And it's not always comfortable. But growth rarely is.

Our team is deeply involved in hiring because culture isn’t a top-down edict—it’s a shared experience. Candidates meet the team. They hear the good, the bad, the bonkers. They know what they’re signing up for. We believe in radical transparency from day one—that way, expectations are aligned, and commitment is genuine.

Lessons from Elite Sports: Continuous Offensive Strategy

In elite sport, winning teams don’t coast. They stay on the offensive. They recruit like they’re behind. They train like they’ve never won. Because complacency is kryptonite. Championship teams invest relentlessly in culture, because they know it’s the foundation for sustained success.

We apply the same logic to culture. Our goal isn’t to protect what we’ve built—it’s to push it. To ask every week: how do we make this better? More transparent, more energised, more aligned to our unreasonable ambition. Our culture isn’t a comfort zone; it’s a performance zone.

The moment you play cultural defence, you’ve already lost. The game is always changing—and the best teams evolve with it.

Culture as Dynamic, Not Static

Culture isn’t a mural on the wall. It’s a movement in the hall. It breathes. It flexes. It changes—and it should. Companies that cling to cultural nostalgia often find themselves outpaced by those who embrace cultural momentum.

We don’t fear change. We architect it. Through regular check-ins, cultural audits, and open feedback loops, we make sure the culture evolves with us. Remote working isn’t a barrier—it’s an opportunity to craft a closeness rooted in purpose, not proximity. We’ve built digital rituals that create intimacy, accountability, and alignment.

At Oxygen Conservation, we don’t have a “vibe.” We have a mission. And that’s more powerful than any ping pong table or beanbag ever could be. We measure culture by connection, not convenience.

Practical Strategies for Cultural Scaling

So how do you scale culture without diluting it? Here’s what works for us:

• Compete for talent like your mission depends on it. Because it does.

• Recruit slowly and deliberately. Never compromise.

• Make CULTure part of the pitch. It’s your competitive advantage.

• Be radically transparent. People can’t live the values if they don’t see them in action.

• Fire with kindness, but also with clarity. Culture isn’t just who you hire—it’s who you let go.

• Celebrate the cultural wins. Recognise the behaviours that build the future.

• Stay humble. Stay hungry. Stay learning. Culture dies when curiosity does.

The results are clear: our team is more cohesive, our mission more defined, and our work more effective. We are executing projects more quickly and efficiently, expanding the delivery of natural capital products, and enhancing our brand recognition through consistent values and performance.

Internally, alignment has improved across the organisation, and externally, we are recognised for both the quality and integrity of our work. These improvements are not accidental—they reflect deliberate efforts to maintain and enhance our culture as we grow.

We assess our cultural success through everyday behaviours: how we handle challenges, celebrate achievements, and support one another when no one is watching. These are the signs that our culture is not only intact but thriving.

Future-Proofing Your Culture

There is no “final form” of your culture. The goal isn’t to arrive. It’s to adapt—perpetually. Culture is not an endpoint; it’s evolution. 

That’s why we embed a growth mindset at every level. We train. We stretch. We fail forward. We celebrate progress, not perfection. And we treat cultural evolution as an essential business function. Culture is not an HR task. It’s a leadership obsession. And it must be measured not just in sentiment, but in strategic advantage.

Final Thoughts: Culture is Your Greatest Growth Asset

Scaling doesn’t have to kill culture. In fact, it can improve it—if you do it on purpose. Growth is the great revealer. It shows you who you are, what you value, and whether your culture is real or rhetoric.

At Oxygen Conservation, we’ve found that growth isn’t a threat to our culture. It’s the amplifier of impact.

So here’s the challenge: Don’t settle. Don’t play defence. Don’t mourn the culture you had.

Build the culture you need. Relentlessly. Boldly. Unreasonably.

Because the best culture is not the one you protect.

It’s the one you're creating!

Reviewed by: Andrew Dewar

Edited by: Abbey Dudas