Hacker News Reader

Comment by teachrdan | Hacker News Reader

Here's a quote from his amazing book, Let My People Go Surfing:

"When I look at my business today, I realize one of the biggest challenges I have is combating complacency. I always say we're running Patagonia as if it's going to b e here a hundred years from now, but that doesn't mean we have a hundred years to get there! Our success and longevity lie in our ability to change quickly. Continuous change and innovation require maintaining a sense of urgency--a tall order, especially in Patagonia's seemingly laid-back corporate culture. In fact, one of the biggest mandates I have for managers at the company is to instigate change. It's the only way we're going to survive in the long run."

View on HN

If you want to understand Yvon Chouinard as a person beyond reading Let My People Go Surfing, you should watch "180 Degrees South: Conquerors of the Useless"[0]. While Yvon only appears for about twenty minutes within the movie, his presence is woven all throughout the film.

Part of what made Patagonia as a company different is the no BS mentality instilled within him from his dirt bagging days spent climbing around California, Patagonia, and New Hampshire. There's a wonderful moment in the movie where Jeff Johnson and Yvon are climbing some first ascent and Jeff asks "what should we name it when we're done?" and Yvon replies, "nothing, just climb it, be done, and go home".

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/180_Degrees_South%3A_Conqueror...

> require maintaining a sense of urgency--a tall order, especially in Patagonia's seemingly laid-back corporate culture

Interesting... so which is it? Is the "laid back" thing just marketing and they're running people around just like many other places, or do they things some other way?

It's not marketing ... it's a work smart, play hard culture.

I've seen places where it's like that joke where the guy goes to hell and has to pick a room. The one room that seems most appealing has a bunch of people standing around in shit drinking beer and talking. Beats the other really unpleasant rooms where people have to stand on their heads on hard surfaces, so he picks it. He's getting settled in when the devil says "ok, break's over, heads down".

What those places have are pictures on their hiring site of people doing fun outdoor stuff or enjoying themselves, and a few stories of what a great culture they have.

But the actual culture is one where it's quite stressful and no one much really does the fun things any more than any other place, because ... "a sense of urgency".

I've heard a lot of good things about Patagonia though, so I think my cynical observations about some other places I've seen above may not be accurate, which makes me curious how things are actually run, day to day. I don't think it's easy to keep that balance, long term.

BTW: sometimes lots of urgency is fine too, but let's all be honest about it.

I've talked to a few people who work (or worked) at Patagonia recently. They said that LMPGS paints a pretty accurate picture of the company. People are passionate and care about doing a good job, but they also care about enjoying their lives and getting a surf session in when the swell is good.

I would argue that it's necessary to keep a good balance long term. Especially within the outdoor industry, Patagonia isn't going to show up as authentic if their statements about culture are just window dressing. And if people aren't able to pursue their other passions without sacrificing their careers, eventually something will give... And people don't always choose to keep their desk job. So they're either going to lose touch with their consumer and lose their employees... or they're flexible with their hours and let people go surfing. Seems like an easy decision to me.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com