Want to know one of the fastest ways to kill a company’s culture? Find the downs
By Burkejason · October 22, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
Want to know one of the fastest ways to kill a company’s culture?
Find the downside in EVERY SINGLE WIN.
I see it all the time in business, and candidly, it drives me crazy.
Record Prime Day! Biggest one ever! 🚀
“Yeah, but are we just pulling forward sales with discounts instead of acquiring new customers?”
Huge distribution win at Kroger!
“Yeah, but those slotting fees are going to hurt.”
Six new SKUs launching at Whole Foods!
“Yeah, but aren’t we just going to cannibalize our existing business?”
Good grief.
Can we just celebrate a damn win for once?
Look, I get it.
Every opportunity comes with risks. Every win has potential downsides. And every good leader needs people around them who can identify threats, challenge assumptions, and ask hard questions.
I’m not advocating for blind optimism.
But there’s a BIG difference between healthy skepticism and reflexive negativity.
One makes your business better.
The other slowly sucks the life out of your team.
Building a business is HARD. Winning in CPG is even harder.
There are enough setbacks, disappointments, unexpected expenses, and punches in the mouth along the way.
When your team works their tails off to deliver something worth celebrating, LET THEM HAVE THE MOMENT.
You can dissect the risks tomorrow.
You can analyze the economics next week.
You can challenge the assumptions without diminishing the accomplishment.
Confidence is contagious. So is negativity.
And as leaders, we have an enormous influence over which one spreads throughout our organizations.
Confidence, conviction, optimism, and genuine excitement go a LONG way in this business.
For those of you who instinctively see the glass half empty, try looking at it the other way around once in a while.
Celebrate the wins. Recognize the effort. Build some momentum.
Your company, your peers, and your team will be better for it.
And for the love of God, stop stealing the joy out of every victory.
Keep going.