How Octopus Energy used culture to reach the top

Octopus Energy's culture isn't built on a list of values, it lives in a vivid mix of trust, autonomy and a shared mission. Greg Jackson doesn't try to compress it into three buzzwords; instead he lets the feeling of the culture guide everyday actions.

Jackson's most striking habit is the deliberate avoidance of back-to-back meetings. He treats a single hour of meeting time as a precious resource that could instead be used for ten phone calls or a quick desk drop-by to help team members solve immediate problems. By refusing to pack his day hour-by-hour, he creates space for thinking, resetting and proactive work that most tech companies sacrifice.

The impact is visible in the people who work there. A listener whose son works at Octopus said he wishes he'd joined years ago, underscoring how this approach translates into real employee satisfaction and loyalty. The culture's emphasis on time-rich interactions and mission focus helps teams stay motivated and aligned without the fatigue of endless meetings.

For technical leaders, the lesson is simple: give people time away from the calendar, trust them to make decisions, and keep the mission concrete. Cutting meeting overload and fostering informal, mission-driven interactions can scale culture and improve performance across a growing organization.