Building Culture-First Companies: Insights from Culture Amp's CEO, Didier Elzinga
“HR Heretics” | How CPOs, CHROs, Founders, and Boards Build High Performing Companies · 2025-10-07 · 24 min
Episode notes
For today’s essential Heretics 101 feature, Kelli and Nolan talk to Culture Amp CEO Didier Elzinga, revealing data-driven insights on building culture-first companies, balancing psychological safety with accountability, and prioritizing growth as engagement’s foundation. Support our Sponsors: Ethena is the compliance training platform built for modern workplaces. Visit goethena.com/heretics and get 10% off your first year. Metaview is the AI platform built for recruiting. Check it out: * Our suite of AI agents work across your hiring process to save time, boost decision quality, and elevate the candidate experience. * Learn why team builders at 3,000+ cutting-edge companies like Brex, Deel, and Quora can’t live without Metaview. * It only takes minutes to get up and running. KEEP UP WITH DIDIER, NOLAN + KELLI ON LINKEDIN Didier: Nolan: Kelli: — LINKS: Culture Amp: For coaching and advising inquire at — TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (00:30) From Harry Potter to Building Culture Amp (02:16) What Is a Culture-First Company? (03:19) The Coherency Matrix: Trust vs.