Culture is one of those things that gets talked about a lot in business. It’s often written down, shared widely and reinforced in all the right places. But you don’t really understand a culture until you see, and feel, how it shows up in practice.
At Credabl, that moment recently played out in a kitchen.
Teams across Australia stepped away from their desks, phones and emails were put aside, and people rolled up their sleeves to cook meals with OzHarvest using 372kg of rescued food. It was hands-on, a little messy, and completely human. In many ways, it said more about the business than any set of values ever could.
For Chief People Officer Beth McGuinness, culture has never been about what’s written down. It’s about what people experience day to day, and how they show up for each other in the moments that matter.
“I think what it really comes down to is that we genuinely care about our people,” she says.
That care isn’t surface-level. It’s built into how the business operates, from how people are hired to how they’re supported, and how quickly the team responds when something doesn’t feel right. It’s not about getting everything perfect, but about being deliberate and consistent in the effort.
“We work really hard at it. We don’t always get it right, but we try.”
A big part of that comes down to behaviour. Values on their own don’t create culture unless people know what they look like in action. As Simon Sinek puts it, “Values + behaviours = culture.”
At Credabl, that thinking shapes how people are brought into the business. The focus isn’t on hiring the same type of person, but on shared characteristics. People who bring drive, care, ownership and ambition, and who are willing to follow things through. Over time, that has created a level of consistency across the business that doesn’t rely on chance.
What happens internally doesn’t stay internal.
“The way that we behave internally is how our clients experience us,” Beth explains.
You can see it in the way teams operate. There is a pace to how things get done, a willingness to step in and help, and a shared responsibility when something needs to move quickly. There isn’t much hierarchy, and very little ego. People are trusted to take ownership, ask questions and move things forward. That energy carries through to clients in the form of responsiveness, problem solving and a genuine sense of care in the outcome.
The OzHarvest experience brought all of this to life in a different setting. Outside of the usual work environment, people came together with a clear purpose. Cooking 742 meals for individuals and families facing food insecurity gave the day a different kind of weight.
What stood out was how people showed up. There was care in the way the team approached the task, whether it was learning something new or making sure nothing went to waste. It created space to step back from the usual pace of work and reconnect with something more grounded.
As Beth reflected, it gave people the chance to feel like they were doing something purposeful, something that mattered in a very real way.
The effect carried beyond the day itself. Conversations continued, both inside and outside the business, as people shared the experience with their teams and families. There was a sense of pride in what had been achieved together, and growing interest from others who wanted to be part of it. Over time, it became less about a single initiative and more a reflection of how the team operates day to day.
Looking ahead, Beth is clear that while the world continues to shift, particularly with the rise of technology and AI, one thing remains constant. The human element matters more than ever. While tools will continue to evolve, people still want to connect with people, and that connection cannot be replaced.
Moments like this reinforce that thinking, grounding the team in something tangible and reminding them why that human connection matters.
For Credabl, it means continuing to invest in an environment where people feel a genuine sense of belonging, where they are trusted, supported and given the opportunity to grow. Because culture isn’t something you claim. It’s something built over time, through behaviour, consistency, and how people show up for each other and for the clients they serve.
Sometimes, the clearest way to understand it is to step outside the usual environment and watch what happens. In this case, it happened in a kitchen, where a group of people came together, got their hands dirty, and created something that mattered.
And in that moment, the proof really was in the gnocchi.