Katya Laviolette
Chief People Officer
1Password
Episode 189
Rapid Growth's Secret: Culture Demands Tough Conversations and Codified Values
Current chapter: Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built By PeopleMay 15, 2025 · 12:11
Thesis
“Rapid organizational growth necessitates continuous cultural transformation, intentional codification of values and behaviors, and a focus on high performance, even if it means tough conversations, all while anchoring to past successes and fostering resilience in HR leadership.”
Show notes
1Password went from a small B2C product company to a well-funded B2B enterprise in a matter of years. Katya Laviolette was in the room for all of it — and what she learned is that fast growth doesn't just stress your systems. It stresses your culture in ways that no values poster or team offsite can paper over.
Now Chief People Officer with more than 30 years in HR, Katya brought a disciplined approach to codifying 1Password's culture at a moment when most companies would have been too busy to try. Her insight: if you don't explicitly define what the company's values mean in behavioral terms — not just as words on a wall, but as observable, actionable expectations — the culture will be defined by whoever has the most influence in each pocket of the organization. That's how homogeneous silos form, and why companies that grow fast often feel like three or four completely different employers by the time they hit 500 people.
The performance management piece of this conversation is equally direct. Katya's rule is simple: feedback should never be a surprise. She ends every performance conversation the same way — "Is any of this a surprise?" — and if the answer is yes, she knows she hasn't been doing her job. The harder message she carries about high-performance culture is one many organizations resist: when a company's age and stage shifts significantly, not every employee will be right for the next chapter. Having that conversation respectfully, with clarity, is more caring than avoiding it. Her parting advice is about resilience — the HR leaders who navigate constant change, including the AI disruption now reshaping every function, are the ones who build it deliberately.
- Codifying culture during rapid growth — translating values into observable behaviors before the company becomes too large to align
- B2C to B2B cultural shift — what changes when the business model changes and why culture work needs to happen before talent programs do
- High-performance culture as a direct conversation — how to communicate that not every current employee fits the next chapter, and why avoiding that conversation is unkind
- Feedback as a no-surprises contract — Katya's end-of-review test and why a surprised employee means the process already failed
- Change management at scale — context, clear expectations, audience-specific messaging, and consistent follow-up as the actual mechanics of change
- Building personal resilience for HR leaders — navigating AI and constant disruption with curiosity rather than anxiety
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What you'll take away
- 1Rapid growth necessitates intentional codification of core values and associated behaviors to maintain cultural integrity.
- 2Shifting to a high-performance culture requires providing realistic perspectives to employees, understanding that not everyone will embrace the evolving company stage.
- 3Effective change management relies on providing clear context, setting expectations, customizing messaging for different audiences, and consistent follow-up.
- 4Transparency and timely, fact-based feedback are paramount in performance management; feedback should never be a surprise.
- 5HR professionals must deeply understand the business to strategically connect people initiatives with overarching business goals, particularly in workforce planning.
- 6Building personal resilience is crucial for HR leaders to navigate constant change, such as the advent of AI, and to enhance their impact.
What most organizations get wrong
- •The guest highlights the necessity of having 'tough discussions' and 'respectfully moving on' from employees who no longer align with the company's evolving high-performance culture during rapid growth (5:30).
In Katya's words
“So we proceeded really on building all the operating functions of a larger scale business and codifying things. And from a cultural perspective, codifying how we get work done through our values, put people first, keep it simple, lead with honesty, and then enunciating what the behaviors were underneath them.”
Highlights the practical steps taken to formalize culture and values during rapid organizational growth.
“And some we have to assume might not because the age and stage of the company has shifted and respectfully, we have to have a discussion to say perhaps this isn't the place for you anymore and respectfully move on from each other and so forth. And that's tough.”
Illustrates the challenging yet necessary aspect of cultural evolution and managing employee fit during significant company shifts.
“And so change is about making sure that people have context, they understand the clear expectations. And as we hear a lot about these days is about clarity, clarity in an honest and respectful way.”
Emphasizes the critical role of clear, honest communication and providing context during periods of organizational change.
“And I always ask at the end, I say, so is this rating or this feedback, are there any surprises? And if someone says, oh yeah, there's a surprise, then I haven't done my job.”
Provides a strong metric for effective and continuous performance feedback, stressing that surprises indicate a failure in communication.
“We don't manufacture widgets at 1Password. We are a people-led business... I think if you understand the business and then you're able to make those connections and connect the dots from the HR perspective, really able to integrate yourself into the business.”
Stresses the imperative for HR to deeply understand the core business and strategically link people initiatives to organizational goals for true integration.
“And I think as an HR professional, it's very important to learn, be curious, and above all in this day and age, there's an importance about building your own personal resilience that helps you both in your personal life, but also in your professional life because everything intersects.”
Offers forward-looking advice on the vital importance of personal resilience for HR professionals navigating rapid technological and professional changes.
The problems this episode addresses
- •Organizations undergoing explosive growth struggle to maintain core values and adapt their culture effectively.
- •Companies need to codify informal values and operating procedures into structured systems for performance management and daily work as they scale.
- •Leaders face resistance and misalignment when promoting cultural transformations, particularly towards high-performance expectations.
- •Ensuring direct, transparent, and non-surprising feedback is a constant challenge in performance management.
- •Integrating HR strategies deeply with broader business goals, especially in workforce planning, to avoid overloading the organization during rapid expansion.
- •HR professionals need to continuously build personal resilience to adapt to rapid industry changes, such as the advent of AI.
In this episode
Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built by People
Dave Hickey is the 1Password Chief People Officer. Thanks for that great introduction
In the Elevator With 1Password Chief People Officer
1Password adapted its culture to better align with rapid growth
1Password's Culture Adjustment
When was a time you encountered resistance while promoting high-performance culture
When Did HR Experience Resistance to High-Performance Culture?
Kati says direct communication and transparency are essential in HR management
The Need for Transparency in Performance Reviews
How did you ensure HR was integrated into the broader business strategy
Balancing People's Needs with Business Goals
Katya talks about the importance of being resilient in HR
Katya On The Built by People Podcast
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
Full transcript
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