Turnaround expert Peter Cuneo held weekly pizza lunches for random employees across all levels. He discovered that people working on the same floor didn't even know each other, immediately diagnosing a broken, siloed company culture. This informal gathering served as a powerful cultural diagnostic tool.

To break down silos and build a strong culture, intentionally schedule and budget for team travel. Have engineers visit customer sites with field service reps and vice-versa. Getting people out of their comfort zones fosters collaboration and a shared sense of purpose.

In company-wide town halls, the CEO deliberately spoke about creative successes, risks taken, and the creators behind the work. He almost never discussed financial results, cementing the message that creativity, not profit, was the company's primary value.

Operate in a "borderless condition" by inviting agency partners to internal events like town halls and holiday parties. This deep integration treats them as true team members, not service providers, giving them invaluable business context and fostering ownership.

Apollo deliberately structures its office with a central floor for food and amenities. This forces "casual collisions"—unplanned interactions between employees from different teams—which is crucial for collaboration, innovation, and sustaining a strong culture, especially post-pandemic.

"Shallow fun," like happy hours, offers a temporary high without lasting impact. "Deep fun" occurs when teams collaborate on activities that improve their shared experience, such as researching the best office coffee. The goal is not the fun itself, but the bonding that happens when a group takes ownership of a shared, meaningful project.

Common team-building activities like happy hours or escape rooms often fail because they allow existing dynamics to persist: the loud get louder, cliques huddle together, and nothing new is revealed. Effective team building must intentionally break these patterns to foster new connections and build genuine trust.

Despite massive growth, Apollo preserves its culture by having senior partners work physically among the teams, not on an executive floor. This proximity encourages "casual collisions" in common areas, ensuring cultural values and open communication are maintained during rapid scaling.

Instead of siloing agency partners, Red Wing hosts an annual mid-year offsite for its entire roster (creative, PR, performance). The CEO presents, and agencies collaborate on real projects. This ritual treats them as a true extension of the internal team, driving alignment and better work.