Reader Reviews

Becker’s guide to business culture draws lessons from elite military and police units. In this debut business book, the author lays out nine crucial components of a successful corporate culture, arguing that a strong culture is the essential foundation for a profitable business. Becker, an entrepreneur and podcaster, combines stories from his role at the head of a tactical equipment company with insights from his interviews with other executives and leaders of military and law enforcement teams. He distills corporate culture into its essential elements, including hiring the right people, maintaining high standards, embracing criticism, and taking risks. Devoting one chapter to each of the nine pillars he identifies, the author illustrates the concepts with stories from tactical law enforcement units, elite military squads, and companies like Pixar, Microsoft, and Amazon. The stories often bring readers into the action as Becker describes hostage situations, terrorist attacks, and military assaults in which teams make split-second decisions enabled by the cultures they have developed. The author makes a solid case for applying the lessons of military and law enforcement to teams who face far fewer life-and-death decisions, though readers outside those fields may not share his enthusiasm for their intense training methods. The author displays a welcome humility as he discusses what he’s learned from his own mistakes as an executive and demonstrates the characteristics that he encourages readers to develop. The text is highly readable—Becker writes in an engagingly conversational style that keeps the pages turning while also making points effectively (“This approach is like throwing away all the sharp knives in your kitchen to avoid injuring yourself”) and highlighting action items and key takeaways. The book has occasional missteps, particularly the inclusion of Pixar as an exemplar without reference to the company’s mishandling of sexual harassment. On the whole, however, the book is full of pithy insights, actionable recommendations, and solid arguments for reimagining corporate culture in both large and small ways. A compelling argument for culture as the defining element of business success.

Through this book, Jon has perfectly encapsulated the necessary qualities and attributes of leadership to develop and maintain success within professional organizations and small units, thereby achieving maximal efficiency, cohesion, and work productivity! To add depth of value, Jon also provides tips and processes to analyze your current leadership and team culture, and how to create, maximize, and/or improve upon those facets. Easy to read, understand, and apply, this book should be mandatory reading material for public safety professionals and business owners!

Best Leadership Book I’ve ever read! Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast. This Book Proves It. Five stars. No hesitation. I’ve read more leadership books than I can count, and the pattern becomes predictable quickly. Repackaged principles, sexy compelling anecdotes, and new terminology designed to feel fresh while covering entirely familiar ground. Jon’s book breaks that cycle by confronting the uncomfortable truth that most leadership books conveniently sidestep: culture is the variable that determines whether any leadership philosophy succeeds or fails. The central argument is both simple and devastating. It doesn’t matter how skilled, motivated, or well-trained a leader is if the organizational culture is broken. Their best efforts will be quietly suffocated. It’s like planting the highest-quality seeds in depleted, nutrient-starved soil. The potential is there, but the conditions make growth and change impossible. Anyone who has spent time in law enforcement, the military, or any hierarchical organization will immediately recognize this pattern. Supervisors return from specialized training like SLI excited with fresh ideas and energized with purpose, only to have that momentum crushed by the toxic environment they’re trying to improve. A real and toxic dysfunction they didn’t create and can’t dismantle alone. This book identifies that problem and refuses to let senior leadership off the hook. The shift in perspective is long overdue and the field is better for it. The cost of ignoring culture is measured in burnout, attrition, and organizational failure. This is, without question, the best leadership book I’ve read, and one we have needed for a long time. Thank you, Jon!!

Culture First is a must read book! I love that the book teaches lessons using intense real world stories, learned at some of the most critical events in tactical policing. It also shares deep insights on culture, team building, decision making and leadership. Jon distills lessons from these events that are transferable to any organization. I finished this book in a weekend because I couldn't put it down. I have read a lot of books on culture and leadership and this is one of the best you'll find in either category!

A Must Read! Culture First is an essential read for all leaders and managers. Mr. Becker masterfully uses both real-world tactical and business examples to demonstrate the importance of organizational culture and role of leaders in defining and maintaining it. Not only packed with important lessons, it is a highly entertaining read. Strongly recommended for anyone who cares about operational outcomes and their role in shaping them.

Practical, go-do-it advice from an astute observer who's spent 40 years immersed in the intense, high-stakes cultural and leadership "labs" of elite military and law enforcements units. I also deeply appreciate that this book is as long as it needed to be, and no longer.

Absolute must read for anyone working on their leadership abilities. Outstanding book!

I have read a lot of leadership books over the years. Most diagnose culture from a distance. Jon Becker spent four decades inside it, while embedded with the world's most elite teams who don't have the luxury of getting culture wrong. I watched Culture First be written by a man I've come to respect deeply. Jon shares decades of knowledge in every conversation, and what stays with me is how little he needs theory to make his point. He'd lives it. What he witnessed, and what he distills into actionable practices in his book, elevates culture from where it often gets placed by organizations, as a background condition. Instead, Jon reminds us that it's the work. And the cornerstone to success. In my own work helping organizations navigate change, culture is consistently the thing that either accelerates or stops everything else. Becker names that dynamic with precision, highlighting those cultures leaders inherited and never examined. But he doesn't stop at naming the problem. He then hands you the tools to change it, and ultimately helps save lives. Whether you lead five people or five thousand, this book will make you examine what you've inherited and what you owe the people around you. As you read, you will find that the margin notes will start accumulating fast, and that is the sign of a great storyteller. Excited to share this book far and wide with the world and everyone in leadership.

It is rare that we get the best of both worlds: an insightful, thought book about a subject of which we know nothing; and the inside knowledge of how the events of that book transpired. Jon Becker gives us both. Jon is a towering intellect, both a lawyer and highly successful businessman, and he brings a deep and abiding intellectual curiosity to the subject here at hand. His skill with the written word is balanced against a truly innocent curiosity about that most simple of questions: how do you guys do what you do? This book is pieced and parceled into chapters formed around themes and ideas: how do these teams solve the unsolvable? I give Jon Becker praise I have heretofore reserved only for Anthony Bourdain: He brings you into a world you know nothing about, and by the end you feel part of it.

Excellent read. Jon has a wealth of knowledge and exposure in building culture in an organization. This is a mandatory read for any manager, leader or supervisor.

This is the best leadership book to come out in a long time. It's rare for a book that has so much valuable, original content to also be captivating and incredibly easy to read. Culture First offers a rare behind-the-scenes view of the world's top military and police special operations units and how they intentionally build elite cultures. It's fantastic. There are a ton of actionable steps that can be implemented immediately after reading this book.

Becker’s work in leadership brings concepts from the private sector and infuses it into the public safety sector. Public safety leaders could will benefit greatly from this book. All young leaders and maybe some older ones should read this! Well done!

This isn’t just another read… this is a mindset shift. In competitive shooting—and really any elite team sport—talent alone doesn’t separate the good from the great. Culture does. The way you prepare, the way you trust your team, the standards you hold when no one is watching—that’s what drives elite performance. This book breaks it down in a way that every athlete should understand. It’s about building a culture where accountability is expected, pressure is embraced, and excellence becomes the standard. If you’re serious about competing at the highest level, this is required reading. Period. I truly believe this will change the game for teams who understand what it takes to win consistently—not just individually, but as a unit. Thank you, Jon, for putting this together. Let’s go to work.

This is one of the best leadership books I’ve read, especially for law enforcement and military professionals. It clearly breaks down how culture drives everything, performance, accountability, trust, and long-term success. The author uses real world examples that helped me remember the concepts and principles. If you’re serious about building a strong, resilient organization, this book is a must. Should be a MANDATORY read for anyone wishing to promote or for those who are part of an elite unit.

A must read!

Have a highlighter and page markers ready for taking notes. There's plenty here to study and take action on for any team.

Excellent book and easy read. Gives great examples for real life situations and scenarios.

I've been searching for a book like this on culture for years. Many authors give people what they want to hear. This book is different. It gives you the authors real experience top cultures.

'Waiting for the perfect answer while acceptable answers pass you by is not prudence. It is abdication of responsibility.' The kind of wisdom that comes from experience and expertise. The real-life anecdotes drive home the lessons and meaning behind each principle. Plus the actual How To challenges allow for serious leaders to set an action plan. This book isn't just a good read, it's constructive and practical. Get growing.

Culture First is a practical, no-nonsense leadership book about building strong teams and creating a culture that drives high performance. Becker writes in a clear, straightforward way that is easy to read and understand, while grounding the ideas in interesting real world experiences. I planned to read a few chapters and ended up finishing it in one night. A great read for anyone who wants to lead better and build a more effective team.

This book is a must read for anyone serious about elevating their team! The principles Jon talks about are relatable, actionable, and within reach of all leaders. You don't need to be a SWAT Commander in order to lead like one. Worth your time.