How Petco's CEO Rebuilt Values to Play to Win

The newest episode of Mastering Workplace Culture features a rare, open conversation with Joel Anderson, CEO of Petco and longtime culture‑focused retail leader. From Toys "R" Us to Walmart to Five Below to Petco, Joel has spent three decades proving that culture—done intentionally—drives passion, discretionary effort, and performance at massive scale.  Joel shares how his "People → Passion → Performance" leadership playbook began with an hourly associate's hand‑painted mural in Lubbock, Texas, and why it has guided every team he has led since. He explains why culture cannot start with metrics, how leaders get people "on the bus," and why discretionary effort—not pressure—ultimately transforms stores, teams, and the customer experience.  He also reflects deeply on large‑scale culture transitions: • Walmart: Reviving local store culture and connecting hourly teams back to a mission much bigger than their daily tasks. • Five Below: Scaling from 361 to 1,600+ stores by formalizing values and behaviors for the first time—moving from "values through osmosis" to a structure that could grow nationwide. • Petco: Rewriting the company's values from scratch and shifting a legacy organization from playing not to lose to playing to win, all anchored in pet‑focused passion and human dignity.  Joel's storytelling reveals what culture really looks like through the eyes of a CEO: Messy, human, imperfect, and deeply personal. He shares how leaders must build self‑esteem, create teams, and celebrate people—not just outcomes. And he offers practical insight for leaders at every level: Focus on strengths, understand superpowers, and build systems that help people succeed. This is a conversation about people, purpose, and performance—and how the right culture unlocks all three.   ⏱️ Key Moments 00:00–02:00 — Welcoming Joel Anderson, CEO of Petco, longtime retail leader 02:00–04:00 — His retail journey and early culture roots 04:00–07:30 — Walmart's culture: strengths, gaps, and the "people first" shift  07:30–10:00 — The "People → Passion → Performance" mural story 10:00–13:00 — Why leaders must start with people, not performance 13:00–15:00 — Changing the conversation with store leaders 15:00–18:00 — Mission boards, engagement, and activating passion locally 18:00–21:00 — Why Five Below energized him and what he saw in the founders 21:00–24:00 — Creating Wow Town: an experiential culture hub 24:00–27:00 — Building Five Below's first-ever values + behaviors 27:00–32:00 — Proving culture drives performance (the 2017 breakthrough) 32:00–36:00 — Petco: playing to win vs. playing not to lose 36:00–40:00 — Rewriting Petco's values + defining "Foster the Fun" 40:00–45:00 — Rolling out new values and behaviors across the organization 45:00–48:00 — The power of superpowers: focusing on strengths, not deficits 48:00–50:00 — Gung Ho, worthwhile work, and leading with humanity 50:00–53:00 — Life outside work: family, golf, milestones, and roots 53:00–56:00 — Joel's advice to young culture leaders 56:00–57:00 — Final reflections on values, gratitude, and team celebration  We're confident Joel's leadership insights will help you see culture through a new lens. So, please: 👍 Give this video a like to support people‑centered leadership 🔔 Subscribe for weekly conversations with real culture builders 💬 Comment with the culture principle you're taking back to your team 🔗 Share this with a leader who's navigating culture change at scale #MasteringWorkplaceCulture #LeadershipDevelopment #OrganizationalCulture #RetailLeadership #PeopleFirstLeadership #BusinessTransformation